Kairi Gaiden
by Xavon Wrentaile
Summary: When Axel confronts Kairi on Destiny Islands, Pluto does not appear to save her. Instead, Kairi undergoes her own Awakening, and sets off with Selphie to find Sora. But instead she ends up on a quest of her own.
1. Chapter 1

The slender young woman stared across the short expanse of ocean at the small island. A melancholy looked dominated her bright blue eyes. Her cute, straight nose took in a deep breath of the salty sea air. Her moderately thin lips completed a charming face, showing signs of graduating to full, adult beauty. With a slight sigh, she ran her fingers through her shoulder length, deep brown hair. She wore a strapless, pink sheath dress, with three zippers running down the front. The non-decorative fastener was zipped down a fifth of the way, to make space for her burgeoning bustline; though her modesty was preserved by the white tank top she wore underneath. She tapped the toe of one of her sneakers on the sand, her expression changing to a slight smile of exasperation.

"Maybe… waiting isn't good enough," Kairi told the waves, not expecting a response.

"My thoughts exactly!" an unknown voice emerged from the air above the surf, "If you have a dream, don't wait. Act. One of life's little rules. Got it memorized?"

She shifted her gaze to the empty space, and a new figure stepped into being. She studied him as he took another pace towards her. His brilliant red hair was extremely spiky, and his pale blue eyes regarded her with smug mischief. A teardrop tattoo under his left eye marked an angular but not unattractive face. He wore a full-length black leather duster, which should have been extremely warm in the bright summer afternoon, but the young man didn't seem to notice.

"Who are you?" the confident teen challenged him.

"Axel," he answered pointedly, "I happen to be an acquaintance of Sora's. Why don't we go see him?"

"Sora?" her eyes glazed over, as if mesmerized. Axel extended his hand to her, and Kairi moved to take it.

"Kairi! Sorry I'm late," Selphie called as she jogged over to meet her friend. The flips of her light auburn hair bounced as she moved. She had changed from her school uniform into a fitted yellow t-shirt, a pleated, black, mid-thigh length skirt, black knee-high socks, and black sneakers. She was carrying a slightly oversized, Moogle-shaped backpack. Her green eyes sparkled, until she saw the second, unfamiliar figure, and caught a glimpse of the blank expression on Kairi's face.

"Kairi?" she said again. This time the taller teen seemed to hear her classmate, and the princess snatched back her hand, regarding the stranger with suspicion. Axel sighed at her response, and snapped his fingers. Strange white creatures sprang up around them, basically human shaped but lacking faces, and their fingers were bound so instead of hands, their arms ended in spikes. They sauntered closer, surrounding Kairi and cutting off Selphie.

"We've got something in common, Kairi," Axel informed her, "You and I both miss someone we care about. Hey, I feel like we're friends already."

"You're not acting very friendly!" the princess countered, stepping away from the bizarre creatures.

"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way," for a moment, he appeared genuinely hurt. Then his visage became dark and he ordered, "Dusks, bring her. And if the other one interferes, dispose of her."

The creatures slid closer, their movements sinuous. Selphie quickly reached into her backpack, and extracted a single, extra-large nunchaku. The arms of the weapon were almost three-feet long, and the chain between them was four-feet in length. As she armed herself, two of the Dusks noticed and turned back to meet her. Before the first one could react, she jabbed both ends of the nunchaku into its chest, and then spun the weapon around to smack it in the side of the head. The creature tumbled away, but stretched back to its feet, more awkwardly then before. Selphie rotated her bludgeon again, but missed the second Dusk.

"Slippery devil," she cursed, and then noticed the others had Kairi trapped, "Get away from her."

She deflected the monster and darted forward, but more of the white humanoids intercepted her. One of the Dusks reached for Kairi, but when its talon brushed her skin, an explosion of light knocked it away. The bright spot dropped to the ground, expanding as it went. When it touched the sand, it formed a pool of radiance, and the young woman began to sink into it.

"Kairi!" Selphie shouted for her again, as her friend vanished.

* * *

She felt like she was falling. But that wasn't right, this was no rapid, dangerous descent. Instead, it was as if she were slowly sinking, as if the air were thick like water, though she could still breathe. No, sinking might be closer, but it was still not right. This feeling was like when she dived into the water, and then just let herself be lifted to the surface. That was it; she was being buoyed down. Was such a thing possible?

**_Do not worry. This journey is of your own choosing._**

She heard a voice, but with her Heart and with her Soul, not her ears. It was gentle and the young woman was comforted by it. Her descent changed, slowing, and shifting her body until she was effectively standing up. As her feet touched down, light sprang up around her. She was on a large platform in a vast emptiness. But under her was no simple floor. Instead, it appeared to be an elaborate stained glass window. In the center was a depiction of her younger self, curled up, asleep. And surrounding her were six smaller circles, containing the faces of the other six Princesses of Heart. As she wandered around, taking the mosaic in, she heard a sound, like a weak, yet vicious chuckle. She turned, and an inky black form emerged from the floor. Its small body was basically human shaped, but plump with spherical hands. Except for its glowing yellow eyes, no light escaped its 'skin'.

"Heartless," she exhaled, stepping back instinctively. She cast about, looking for any way to defend herself. The Shadow crouched, preparing to leap at her. But as it sprang forward, two new shadows appeared. Sora batted the Heartless away, standing in front of her defensively. And Riku followed after the creature, striking the finishing blow. They looked the same as they had before they had left the island, but she could see right through them. Except, instead of wooden swords, the phantoms wielded Keyblades. Riku turned back, and nodded to Sora with a smirk. Then the brown-haired kid looked at her and offered a broad grin. She reached for him, but both faded from existence.

**_Up until now, you have counted on others to defend you. This is not necessarily a bad thing; each person has his or her own role to play. But if you would step beyond your familiar shores once more, you need to be able to defend yourself. If you make this choice, it cannot be undone later. Would you gain the power to stand alone?_**

"Of course," she shouted upwards. Though there was no hint challenge in the Voice, she was shamed by the words nevertheless. In response to her acceptance, five pillars rose out of the ground, each bearing a single weapon.

**_Choose the form your power will take._**

The teen walked over to the first pedestal. On it rested a double bladed battle-axe. It was simple, unadorned except for the symbol of the King, and looked heavy.

**_The Axe. Pure power, at the cost of speed._**

She stepped to the next dais. It had a sword, with a slender needle blade. Like the axe, it bore the three overlapping circle that were the emblem of Disney Castle, but this time on the pommel.

**_The Rapier. Quick to strike, but hard to use for defense. _**

The third platform held a large shield. It was flat on top, but came to a rounded point at the bottom. And as she expected, it was emblazoned with the same crest as the first two weapons.

**_The Shield. Powerful protection, it holds little power to attack._**

The fourth pillar held another sword, but this weapon was slightly longer and much wider. It held the symbol of the King on the crosspiece.

**_The Sword. A balanced weapon, lacking both strengths and weaknesses._**

The last weapon was a short staff, with the King's emblem as the headpiece.

**_The Staff. The power of magic, at the cost of the physical._**

She stepped back and considered the weapons.

"Riku is the Axe," she thought aloud, "And Sora is the Shield, or maybe the Sword. I think the Rapier might suit me best."

She took a half step towards the narrow weapon; but before she reached it, she paused, her brow furrowed in thought.

"But if I want to compliment them, I should take the Staff," she looked over at the mystical wand. Then she pursed her lips and shook her head.

"No, this is my journey," she scolded herself, "I don't know when I will meet up with those two. I need to be true to myself."

She moved in front of the pedestal, and reached for the dueling sword. Though the Rapier was heavier than she expected; it was surprisingly comfortable to hold.

**_This choice can shape your journey in ways you might not expect. Are you sure?_**

She nodded, and swung the blade with a flourish. The five pillars all sank back into the decorated floor. She heard the wheeze of the Heartless again.

**_An enemy approaches. Defend yourself._**

The Shadow began to scamper towards her, and she darted forward to meet it. As the Heartless hunched down to attack, she pierced it between the eyes, stunning it. She followed it up with a diagonal slash to the creature's 'throat', and finished with another stab to the chest. The Heartless exploded into a black mist. She heard a second Shadow approaching, and was already swinging as she rotated to meet it. Her blow knocked the jumping creature back to the ground, and she skewered it, freeing the captive Heart. As the ichors faded, a series of floating platforms appeared on the edge of the plateau, creating a staircase leading up into the void.

**_A new path has opened up. On your journey, it may appear that your way is blocked. But if you persevere, you will be able to open new routes._**

The young woman walked over to the steps, and then paused, unsure if the disconnected stairway was safe. Then she took a deep breath, and squared her shoulders to the path. She placed her foot firmly on the hovering step, and then moved to the next. She walked slowly, resolutely. Twenty-one steps lead her higher into the darkness, and deposited her on another station. As before, the floor was ornate construction. This time, it was Sora and Riku, but they looked older and were wearing unfamiliar clothes. Behind Riku 'hovered' the face and torso of Ansem, the Heartless who had controlled her friend. And similarly behind Sora was the mysterious youth Roxas she had encountered briefly. After taking in the stained glass beneath her, she lifted her head, and saw a treasure chest sitting next to the image of Ansem.

**_Enemies will not be the only obstacles in your search. _**

She walked over to the chest, and tried to lift the lid. But it was sealed. She took a step back, and remembered what he had done, all those times. She tapped the blade of the Rapier to the lid of the container, and it popped open with a click. She knelt down and extracted three small bottles from the box. As she stood, the chest faded from view. She slipped the potions into the pouch on her left hip, and looked around again.

A large door had appeared on the opposite edge of the platform, with a trio of crates stacked in front of it. The young woman walked over to the door, and tried to shift the boxes out of the way. But they were too heavy for her to move. She remembered how he had done it, when she had 'observed' his actions. Then she looked to the weapon in her hand. The Rapier seemed to be too light to break the crates.

"But if this is what I think it is," she considered aloud. She decided it couldn't hurt to try, and stabbed at the first box. For an instant, her sword felt heavier, and the wooden container shattered. She did not pause, swinging backhand at the other two. They obliged her and broke into pieces. The door uncovered, she shifted her weapon to her left hand, and reached for the handle. She pulled the door towards her, and as she did, she heard the sound of shattering glass. The floor beneath her vanished, and she was falling again, but this time she plummeted like she would have expected in her initial descent. As she looked down, she realized another platform was rapidly approaching her. This time, the mosaic was of King Mickey, with Goofy on his right and Donald on his left. Again there were smaller circles around the edge of the platform, and this time they contained set of symbols: a flame, a lightning bolt, a snow flake, a leaf, a tornado, a broken purple sphere, and lastly a four pointed white star. She slowed rapidly as she grew closer, and once again, she touched down lightly.

**_Physical might is not always enough. You will need the power of magic to complete your quest._**

A ringing sound filled the space around her, and four floating Heartless appeared. She recognized them immediately by their distinctive straw hats and their bell-shaped, primary-colored robes. There was one each of the Blue Rhapsody, Green Requiem, Red Nocturne, and Yellow Opera types. She drew on the memories she shared with him, and recognized the retreating emerald Heartless was the most dangerous, because it had the power to heal its comrades. The Rhapsody began to bob up and down randomly, and electricity surrounded the body of the Opera, which charged her. She brought her Rapier up to block, but the flying Heartless avoided the narrow blade and struck her unguarded shoulder. The impact was jarring and the spark traveled down her arm and into her chest, numbing her left side. Her sword arm was unaffected, and she stabbed the yellow creature before it could withdraw. The lightweight Heartless was knocked back by her strike, and began swaying erratically. But the body of the Requiem shook, creating a ringing noise and flashes of green light. The spell settled onto the Opera, which began moving normally again.

The teen took advantage of the opening, and raced over to the Heartless healer. She jumped up, and brought the edge of the Rapier down with her weight behind it. The Requiem crashed to the ground, but did not dissolved; so she slashed at it again, and then stabbed it for good measure. The being of darkness dissolved, releasing a glowing, translucent, pink heart, which rose into the air and vanished.

A small sphere of fire struck her in the back, driving her close to the edge of the platform. Emboldened by her victory and annoyed by the attack, she darted after the closest Heartless, the Rhapsody. It fired a burst of snow and cold at her, but she had seen them attack before, and she somersaulted to the side, avoiding the spell. She finished closing the distance, and destroyed the monster with two quick jabs. The Opera tried to slam into her again, but she sidestepped, and it flew past her.

'I chose speed at the cost of defense,' she reminded herself, 'I have to dodge.'

The Nocturne was still holding back, preparing to fire again. She chased it down, avoiding another rush by the aggressive yellow Heartless. The young woman caught up with the red spellcaster, and eliminated it with the same ease she had its blue counterpart. The memories of battle came back to her, helping her know how to move and attack, almost as if she had been the one doing the fighting back then. She turned to face the last Heartless, which was darting forward again. This time she met it with her blade, letting it impale itself.

As the last heart was freed, she breathed a sigh of relief. A column of light surrounded her, and four shining crystal descended slowly towards her. She cupped her hands to catch them, and when they touched her palms, they absorbed into her skin. As they did, she understood.

"Cure, Blizzard, Fire, Thunder," she noted as the green, blue, red, and lastly yellow gems were integrated into her core. Then, recognizing the lingering pain in her left arm and back, she raised the tip of her Rapier, and intoned, "Cure!"

Green light surrounded her, and her wounds vanished. She nodded resolutely, and looked for her exit. But none was to be found. Instead, she saw another Heartless appear, this one with a whitish body and a broad red cap. She remembered it was called a White Mushroom, and was generally harmless. It shuffled closer, and then appeared to notice her. It looked her up and down, then it began shivering.

She recognized this game. She pointed her weapon at the Heartless and proclaimed, "Fire."

A small sphere of flame shot out and struck the mushroom. It straightened, and let out a joyful noise. It took a step back and regarded her again. After a moment, it hunched forward and began fanning its face rapidly.

"Blizzard," she obliged the creature, and again it crowed happily. It turned around and took a few steps, and then seemed to remember her. It looked at her again, then looked upwards with a hand under its 'chin', and an unlit light bulb appeared over its head.

"Thunder," she incanted, and a bolt of lightning struck the Heartless. The bulb started to glow, and the White Mushroom indicated her success again. It hopped into the air, spinning rapidly, and vanished. A small bracelet appeared in its place, and dropped onto Donald's face with a twinkle. She retrieved the protective charm, and quickly buckled it around her left wrist.

A tear in space opened before visible against the abyss only by the swirling flecks of purple and grey. Despite being offered a way to continue, she felt worried looking at the door into darkness.

"No, I decided to do this," she reminded herself, and stepped into the rip.

The teen appeared on another station, this one slightly larger than the last three. The motif was of an unfamiliar young woman. She was pretty, with soft blue eyes, and short, pale blonde hair. She wore an unadorned white dress, and the stained glass gave her a look of great sadness. Though she did not recognize the girl pictured, she could not help but feel she knew other teen.

Before she could ponder it too much, the plateau began to shake.

**_As you continue your journey, you will face many challenges. _**

A giant Heartless rose past the edge. She was shocked to find the creature looked like her. It's facial features were somewhat blurred, and there were tendrils extending from the monster's shoulders and wrists. And there was a large, heart-shaped whole through its stomach. But it had her hairstyle, and her clothes, and its nose and cheeks were definitely hers.

**_But you have the tools you need to reach your goal. _**

The Heartless raised its right hand, and punched downward at her. She jumped back, barely avoiding the fist, and the whole pillar shook. Then the creature's arm appeared to dissolve into the floor, forming an inky black spot. In the next instant, one Shadow emerged, and then another. She ran past them, striking at the arm before any more of the tiny Heartless could appear. The giant monster gasped noiselessly, and yanked back its arm. She killed the Shadows before they could attack, and turned her attention back to her main foe. But before she or the Heartless could act, the platform began to shake again.

**_So don't worry, your belief in yourself and your friends will see you through._**

Both the girl and her dark doppelganger paused, watching as a giant white form rose on the opposite side of the platform. It was basically similar to the creature Axel had called Dusks; it had the same coloring and texture, and was marked with the same symbol like an inverted heart with a dagger or spear stabbing out of it, though this enemy bore the mark on its chest. But like the Heartless behind her, the white monster had distinctly feminine shape, slender waist with the hint of breasts under its armor. The new opponent quickly raised its right hand, and swept across the plateau, attempting to knock her down, or off into the abyss. She hopped over the attack, but it still clipped her, and she was thrown back, landing close to the Heartless. The giant black creature chose that as the cue to resume its attack, punching down at her again. The young woman rolled to her feet and dove out of the way. Again, the Heartless melded into the stained glass, and began to spawn Shadows. But before she could react, the white monster howled angrily. It slammed its hands into the underside of the disc, causing it to spin in place. She was catapulted into the air, and the Shadows vanished into the emptiness. The white creature kept spinning the floor as she reached the apex of her flight, not wanting to give her a spot to land.

'Trust my friends, huh?' she thought to herself as she started to fall, 'If that's true, you better help me with this, Sora.'

"I know what you are," she address the Rapier, "It's time to stop hiding. Strike Raid!"

She threw the Rapier sidearm at the head of the white entity, and as it left her hand, it changed. The blade of the sword was replaced by a bronze pole with a golden vine wrapped around it. The handle was blue, and the hand guard was also gold, and heart shaped, except on top where it faded into blue, and ended in a crashing wave motif. A Paopu fruit charm was attached to the hilt by a red cord. And at the end of the haft, the tines were a bouquet of multi-hued flowers. The Keyblade rotated through the air, slamming into the side of the monster's face, and then whirling back to her.

With the agitator knocked back, the platform stopped revolving. But it came to a halt with the opposite side face up, and instead of the blonde, the teen landed on a different girl. This picture bore her face, but with jet-black hair. Her altered twin wore the same style of black coat Axel sported, with black gloves and thigh-high boot visible. She was also holding Sora's Kingdom Key in her left hand. But the floor was less important than her opponents, both of whom struck even as she caught the returning weapon.

"Thunder!" she called down lightning on both of their hands, before they could strike her. They flinched just enough for her to flip back out of the way. Their fists collided, and the white monster hissed, while the Heartless grimaced, still silent. For a moment, the two titans glared at one another, but the black silhouette broke the gridlock by hammering the edge of the station, flipping it again and sending her upwards. But instead of keeping it spinning, the Heartless caught the platform so that the blonde girl was showing again.

'They don't appear to get along,' she decided, 'Maybe I can…'

Her speculation was cut short as the white being suddenly manifested a spear, and prepared to throw it at her.

"Blizzard," she hit it with a blast of ice, but it was undeterred. It launched the spike at her, but before it could hit her, the Heartless snatched her out of the air, and smashed her into the platform. It continued pressing down on her, trying to smother her. She slashed out wildly with her Keyblade, striking its wrist hard enough to make it release her.

"Cure," she could feel her mystical power being exhausted as she slid away and healed herself. She knew it would be a while before she could cast any more spells. She scrambled to her feet, and raced over to the white creature, slashing at its chest. She decided the being close to the unknown giant was less risky then being impaled on its javelins. The Heartless seemed determine not to let her escape so easily. It raised its hands, and a sphere of black and purple energy formed between them. Then it pushed both palms towards them and launched the orb at them. The teen cried out wordlessly as she dove out of the way. The attack passed over her head, and struck the white entity, which roared in pain. It formed another lance, and threw it at the Heartless. The inky duplicate reared back, unable to voice its pain. While the Heartless tore out the spike, the new creature turned its attention back to her, aiming its left hand at her while she was off balance.

'That's what I need, if I can just get them fighting again,' she decided, as she rolled out of the way tumbling back to her feet. Then she remembered another move she had witnessed her friend perform.

"I wonder if can pull that off, too," she pondered aloud, moving back to the center of the platform.

Both of the giants were preparing their ranged attacks again. She tensed, watching them both, their focus once again firmly on her. The Heartless finished first, shooting the darkness at the new Keyblade wielder. Just before the sphere would have struck her, she darted back, and swung her weapon like a baseball bat. She hit the ball of energy, diverting it higher, so it hit the white monster in the head. The pale titan switched its attention, aiming its completed javelin at the Heartless.

"Now," she shouted as the projectile hit. She could tell the Heartless was weakening. She followed behind the white lance, and when it buried itself in the breast of the Heartless, she hopped up on to the impromptu ledge, and then jumped again. Her movements put her in range of the black entity's face, and she quickly launched trio of strikes at the copy of her eyes. The Heartless began to dissolve where she had hit it, and fell backwards into the abyss. By the time she landed lightly on the station, the Heartless was gone.

"One down, one to go," she huffed, turning back to the white creature, which also looked ragged around the edges. The remaining monster hung its arms down, and she realized her mistake. The white giant brought its hands up, flipping the stage for the third time. The young woman was catapulted upwards, and she righted herself as quickly as she was able. The monster continued to spin the platform, giving her brief glimpses of both the blonde and raven-haired mosaics and robbing her of a place to land.

"Strike Raid," she shouted, hurtling her Keyblade at the creature. The weapon hit her opponent in the head for the second time, but this time it did not stop agitating the floor.

"Strike Raid," she yelled as soon as the hilt of the key touched her palm, this time a hint of desperation in her voice. The creature shuddered when it was hit, but managed to continue its actions. She wasn't sure if she would be able to throw her Keyblade again before it was too late, and she was struck by the flipping floor or simply fell past it. But before she could surrender, she felt a small kernel of power blossom in her. She just hoped it would be enough.

"Fire," without her weapon to act as a wand, she pointed the first two fingers of her right hand at the monster to focus. The gout of flame hit the giant in the insignia on its chest, and it began to break apart. The station slowed, but not quickly enough. She didn't think she was in danger of getting hit any more, but it did not look like she would have a surface to land on either. She took a deep breath as she caught her Keyblade, and relaxed as she fell past the platform, into the infinite darkness below. When she looked back up, the eyes of the sad blonde girl seemed to follow her down

**_If you are able to stay strong, yours will once more be the light of others' salvation._**

* * *

"Kairi!" Selphie shouted for her again, as her friend vanished. She knocked aside the Dusk between her and the now blank section of sand. The shifty humanoid broke apart, but others moved in the take its place.

"What did you do to her?" Selphie demanded, struggling to keep her opponents at bay with broad swipes of her nunchaku.

"Nothing," Axel shrugged with a slightly mystified look. Then he looked at the younger teen, his grin dark and mischievous.

"But it looks like we'll have to move on to plan B," he told her, "And unfortunately for you, there is no need for you in plan B, either."

He snapped his fingers, and the Dusks stepped up their attacks. Selphie found she had to focus entirely on defense, and even so she took a number of weak hits to her arms and legs. Then one of the Dusk's talons slipped past the chain of her bludgeon, aiming right for her heart. But before it could eliminate her, a point of light appears in between them, throwing the Dusks backwards. The dot expanded into a sphere, and then an oblong. The cocoon exploded, revealing Kairi, floating in the fetal position. The princess unfolded her body, landing softly on the beach. She took a quick look around, and then swung out her right hand, brandishing her new weapon. The Dusks recognized their original target, and started to move in again to capture her.

"Thunder!" Kairi incanted, and the three white entities closest to the two girls exploded.

"No one mentioned she had a Keyblade," Axel snarked to himself, then to everyone else, added, "I guess I'll have to handle this."

He snapped his fingers for a third time, and the Dusks left. He stepped closer to the two young women, as Kairi healed Selphie.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me to see Sora, Kairi?" he asked sweetly.

"Any chance of that went down the drain when you attacked my friend," she countered, raising her Keyblade. Axel held out his hands, and his twin chakrams appeared in matching plumes of flame.

"Then it's going to be the hard way," he smirked at them, "And I thought this assignment would be boring."

Fire lit the edges of his circular blades. He crossed his arms, and darted towards Kairi. She met his charge by stabbing out her weapon, taking advantage of her superior reach. Her initial strike interrupted his momentum, and she followed up with a horizontal slash that hit his right shoulder, and a diagonal strike that would have hit his collarbone, had he not recovered in time to block. With her Keyblade tied up on his left chakram, he spun his right disc upwards at her stomach. Again, his attack was disrupted, when Selphie struck the small of his back with her twirling nunchaku. He stumbled forward, and Kairi disconnected their weapons to let him stagger past her. Axel took a few more steps than he need to, and turned to face them.

"Burn," he ordered, looking happy. Fire erupted from his weapons again and he hurtled them both, sending one arcing towards each of the teens. Selphie rolled underneath the weapon, and Kairi knocked it back towards the black-cloaked man. Axel caught the chakram, and his other discus vanished and reappeared in his hand. Kairi met Selphie's eye, and the younger girl nodded. The nunchaku user ran straight towards Axel, whose eyes widened incredulously. He readied his inferno to burn her out of existence.

"Blizzard," Kairi unleashed the cone of cold and ice, which struck the unsuspecting fire user dead center in the chest, stunning him. Selphie took advantage of the opening, slamming one of the arms of her tool into his temple, and the other into his neck. Axel tumbled away, losing his grip on his chakrams. Selphie withdrew quickly.

"Did we get him?" she asked nervously.

"No, no you didn't," Axel sounded amused as he stood. His blades reappeared in his hands, and he grinned at them.

"You fight a lot like those two," he told Kairi, "But not exactly the same. Which makes sense, all things considered. But either way, it's time to end this."

Masses of white-hot flame built up over the surface of his chakrams. But then a trio of loud laughs echoed from the hill behind the girls, growing closer.

"We don't need any more company," Axel sounded annoyed, and banished his weapons, "I'll see you later, Kairi."

Then he smirked at Selphie, "And you had better hope you don't see me again."

With that, he vanished as mysteriously as he had appeared. Kairi sent away her Keyblade, as Tidus, Wakka, Cecil, Locke, and Celes crested the rise. Wakka was spinning the blitzball on his finger, and they were all wearing their uniforms. The first three boys looked amused, while Locke looked chagrined and Celes looked angry.

"Would you guys lay off?" Locke asked, "It's not like you've never missed shots. And that's why we're having this extra pract..."

He trailed off as they noticed Kairi and Selphie, both panting, and Selphie still holding her weapon.

"Is everything all right?" Wakka asked curiously.

"Yes, I was just having Selphie teach me some self-defense," Kairi lied easily. Celes nodded, and the team continued their trek down the beach.

"I'm teaching you?" the younger brunette said incredulous once the others were out of earshot, "I think you could teach me a thing or three. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Sora," Kairi admitted with a small grin.

"Really? Sora? When did he teach you to fight?" Selphie pointed at her, "For that matter, where are Riku and Sora? Fourteen months ago, the three of you vanished on the night of the storm. A week later, you just suddenly reappear, but you never said what happened. I know the Mayor convinced Riku's parents and Sora's mom that they were fine, and that we should wait until you were ready to tell us, but just how long are you going to shut me out?"

"Selphie, I..." Kairi started to protest.

"And that's another thing," the younger teen interrupted, on a roll, "I overheard the Mayor and uncle Tella talking. The night after the storm, the stars were different. Some of the stars that had disappeared were suddenly back in the sky. And the constellations were in the wrong places, like instead of one night it had been over four months! That's impossible, right?"

She stared at her friend, and the princess could not meet her eyes.

"You know something," Selphie read her expression correctly, "Tell me!"

"It's safer you don't know," Kairi said softly.

"Safer? Safer than getting attacked by some crazy fire guy and his white monsters?" Selphie was incredulous. Then she grinned slyly, and decided on a different tack.

"Then maybe it's safer I don't show you what that guy dropped," the younger woman taunted, holding her hand behind her. Kairi looked at her curiously, and Selphie couldn't help but triumphantly extend the slim white drawing pen. The Keyblade user reached out to touch it, and despite her earlier statement, the nunchaku user did not retract the item. When her fingers touched the instrument, Kairi briefly remembered the blonde girl on the last station. A bright light sprang out from her fingertips, and the pen rose into the air. Unbidden, her Keyblade appeared in her hand, and she instinctively pointed her weapon at the implement. A beam emerged from the Keyblade, and when it struck the pen, it split and expanded, inscribing a keyhole shape on the sky. Then there was a loud click, and the beam disappeared.

"What was that?" Selphie gasped, turning to stare at Kairi. The Keyblade user caught the pen as it fell, and it changed in her hands, a silver chain tumbling free from nowhere, with a clip on the end.

"Innocent Snowfall," she recognized the name of the Keychain instinctively. She held up the hilt of her weapon, and attached the new accessory. The original Keychain, Princess Key, came off in her hand, and the Keyblade changed form. The haft became longer and narrower, and lightened into a pure, white metal. The hand-guard transformed into a stylized snowflake, and the tines became half of a different ice crystal.

Selphie stared at her in amazement.

"OK, you are telling me everything," the younger woman insisted firmly. Before they could debate the matter further, a loud rumbling, like thunder, shook the sky above them. Both girls looked up, and a bulbous orange device coasted out of the sky. Kairi recognized the Gummi Ship immediately, while Selphie struggled just to keep her mouth from hanging open.

"Sora," Kairi murmured hopefully under her breath, and ran over to meet the ship as it landed. But when the hatched opened, the occupant what not who she was hoping it would be.

A mouse clambered out of the cockpit. Though she was generally humanoid, unlike the King, she was the size of a normal mouse, barely five inches at full extension, and a fair percentage of that was her tail. Still, she walked on her rear legs, had a mop of untidy, dirty blonde hair, and wore light blue coveralls with matching goggles in her hair between her ears. The rodent looked around, and when she saw the Keyblade user, her face brightened.

"Princess Kairi," she exclaimed, "I found you."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Kairi asked carefully; more aware than ever of the gaps in her early memories.

"Gosh, I don't think so," the mouse shook her head, "I'm Gadget, Gadget Hackwrench. I was sent to help you find Sora."

Selphie had been flabbergasted by the royal title the mouse applied to her friend, but when the tiny mammal mentioned Sora, both girls turned to look at one another dubiously.

"What?" Gadget asked, recognizing their expressions.


	2. Chapter 2

The two young women studied the rodent girl, and Gadget began to play with her tail nervously.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked the humans, unconsciously taking a step back.

"It can't be a coincidence," Selphie told Kairi, pursing her lips.

"Do you know Axel?" the older girl queried the newcomer suspiciously. At the question, Gadget brightened.

"Of course, I know all about axles," she said proudly, "I _am_ a Gummi Ship engineer. Are we talking straight axles or split ones?"

Both girls were surprised by the response. Kairi looked at Selphie, who shrugged.

"Either she's a really good actress and had that planned out," the nunchaku user offered her opinion, "Or she doesn't know that guy."

"If you aren't with Axel, then why do you want to help me find Sora?" the princess's tone was more neutral this time, "You said you didn't know me."

"Master Yen Sid sent me to bring you this ship, and instructed me to be your operator," the mouse answered openly.

"Yen Sid?" Selphie blinked, "Who is that?"

_

* * *

There was an anxious knocking at the door. Her guardians both jumped at the sound, and the woman quickly answered the summons. She could not see either of their faces, or maybe she could not bring herself to see them. The woman opened the door, and the young girl watched her usher in a mouse. He was barely four feet tall at the tips of his large ears, and ruggedly built. In his hand, he carried a Keyblade with a haft like a crooked staff, but in blue and speckled with stars. On the back of the crook, which forged the Keyblade's tines, floated a golden crescent moon and star. The haft met the grip with two more stars, and the wing like hand guards met with another star at the pommel. The Keychain was a silver, spangled affair, ending in another golden crescent moon._

_"Your Majesty, what is it?" the man asked nervously, his voice gruff._

_"They got to Ansem," the mouse answered. His voice was high-pitched and clear, but also strong and obviously worried, "Xehanort and the others. I think they'll be coming for the princess next."_

_The rodent royal looked directly at her, and she could see the sadness in his eyes, along with a touch of fear. The mouse closed the door behind him, before continuing._

_"We have to get you guys outta here," the King insisted._

_"How?" the woman answered, "Can we make it to your ship?"_

_"Nah, they'll be watching it," he shook his head, steadying himself despite the denial, "But I have another way. It's only for emergencies, but I'd have to say this qualifies."_

_He took out a small crystal and set it on the table._

_"If you break this, it'll teleport you guys to my teacher's tower, on the outskirts of Twilight Town," the mouse explained, "He'll be able to keep you safe until we can find someplace to hide Kairi."_

_"What about you?" the man prompted._

_"The crystal only takes three," the King answered, "So I'll stay behind. I wanna see if I can keep things from getting too bad here; and maybe sniff out what they did with Ansem the Wise."_

_"No," the woman said firmly, "I will stay. I am a knight of Radiant Garden, it is my job to preserve the safety here."_

_"Besides," she knelt down to look the mouse in the eye, "Your world needs you."_

_"Yeah, you're probably right," the King admitted unhappily, "But I still don't like the idea of leaving ya here alone."_

_"Then I'll stay too," the man stood and walked over to his wife._

_"No," she said again, "Kairi has already lost one grandfather tonight. And you are a librarian, not soldier. You have to go with our granddaughter and King Mickey. I won't be alone. I'll rally those kids. I'm sure they will be happy to help me, Squall in particular."_

_She walked over to the wall, and took down her buckler, securing it to her right forearm. The she removed her rapier and swung it out and then back, reacquainting herself with the blade's feel._

_"Now you three should get moving," the aging warrior kissed her husband on the cheek, and walked back to the door, "Keep our granddaughter safe."_

_She darted out of the room, closing the door behind her._

_"I guess we better get going too," the mouse said, sending his weapon away. He took the crystal in his right hand, and extended his left. The older man turned to the girl. She had been silent the whole time, but now she took a step back and shook her head._

_"Grampa, I don't wanna go," she complained._

_"I know, Little Light," he answered gently, "but we have to, for Gramma. You know how she gets when we dawdle."_

_He extended his hand. It was covered with tiny, straight marks, and calloused on the fingertips. After a moment of hesitation, she took it. Then the scholar took the hand of the rodent king. The Keyblade user shattered the crystal. A star seemed to blossom in the room, and when it was gone there were in a different place. If was a study; with a desk and multiple bookshelves crammed full of tomes both large and small. It had a homey, lived in look. The girl crowded close to her grandfather, nervously. _

_"Mickey, what is the meaning of this?" a deep voice addressed the king familiarly, but the girl could not see its owner. The speaker stood, and from her angle, his face was obscured by the mouse's head and ears. She could only see the tip of his pointed hat and the forked bottom of his deep grey beard._

_"Sorry, Master Yen Sid," the king answered regretfully, "Things are real bad in Radiant Garden. Ansem's apprentices didn't quit their research like he asked. And now they've done something to him, and given the Heartless free reign of the castle. Given the nature of their work, I didn't think it would be safe for Kairi, lettin' them have one of the Princesses of Heart so nearby. I needed a place where she'd be safe, and I didn't think we would be able to reach my ship."_

_"You have grown in wisdom," the sorcerer agreed with a touch more respect in his tone, "since your apprenticeship ended."_

_"I should hope so," Mickey said, embarrassed, glancing at a broom in the corner. The spell-shaper rounded the desk, and approached the girl. He met her eyes deliberately. His face was weathered and stern, but his ancient eyes held a kernel of kindness that reassured the child._

_"Hello, princess of Radiant Garden," he greeted her gently, "I am the sorcerer Yen Sid."_

* * *

"Kairi?" Selphie caught her friend with a look of concern as the older girl swooned. Kairi leaned on her gratefully for a moment, and then straightened.

"I'm okay," her voice started soft, but grew slowly stronger, "I just remembered… I met him once; Yen Sid... Before I came to this world."

Selphie blinked, knowing her friend was lacking knowledge of her life before arriving on Destiny Islands. She looked carefully at her schoolmate, and then back to the mouse.

"You said you're here to help us find Riku and Sora," Selphie stated pointed, "What will you do if we don't accept your help?"

"Gosh," Gadget exclaimed in disappointment, "I guess I'd be stuck here."

"Stuck?" Kairi asked, "But you have the Gummi Ship."

"But after Sora and King Mickey sealed Kingdom Hearts last year, all the paths between worlds sealed up," the mechanic explained, "A Keyblade user can forge new routes. So without you, I can only go from this world to whatever world is on the other side of the passageway you just opened."

"What about your boss?" Selphie prompted. Gadget shook her head.

"His tower was under attack," the mouse explained, "That's probably why I ended up in the void, instead being teleported directly here. If Princess Kairi hadn't opened the path, I would have been stuck there."

"How did Yen Sid know to send you here?" Kairi was close to a decision, but wanted to know one more thing.

"He thought you might ask that," Gadget nodded, "He said to tell you that after Sora rescued the Princesses of Heart, he placed security spells on you, at King Mickey's request. That's how he knew when you got your Keyblade, and could make use of a Gummi Ship."

Kairi nodded, taking a deep breath, and announced, "Alright, I believe you. Please help me find Sora."

The Keyblade wielder extended her right index finger, and the mouse grabbed it in both of her tiny hands and shook it. Then Selphie jumped in, and place her finger on top of Kairi's, over Gadget's hands.

"And Riku, too," the younger teen reminded. Kairi looked at her friend in surprise, but her expression quickly turned to sadness.

"Selphie, you..."

"I'm coming with you," she insisted, "You couldn't have driven off that Axel guy without me. And I want to find Riku... and Sora... almost as much as you do."

Kairi looked to Gadget for support, but the rodent shrugged.

"It's your choice," the engineer said, "It's not like I'd be much help in a fight. And things are always easier when you have your friends and work as a team."

"My belief in my friends will see me through," Kairi murmured, remembering the Voice. Then she threw her arms around her new partner.

"Thank you, Selphie," she said gratefully. Despite her desire to protect her friends, despite her newly awakened power, Kairi knew she probably could not do this alone.

"Alright," the princess disengaged from her friend, "I need to go home and get something first."

"We'll be here," Selphie said, smirking slightly to indicate she wouldn't let Kairi have the chance to slip away without her.

* * *

"You ran away?" the hooded figure on the tallest chair asked evenly, "You let her escape?"

"First, no-one told me she would have a Keyblade," Axel shot back defensively, "or an annoying little friend, for that matter. And second, she isn't exactly going anywhere."

"You had better hope not," the person on the second highest perch announced roughly, "Since you lost the pen, and with it, our way to track the girl."

"So get Naminé a new pen, and have her draw some more pictures," Axel shrugged.

"That won't work," their leader informed him, "The pen also resonated with Sora's memories, strengthening the link to the princess."

"Well, that's too bad," the red-haired man did not sound concerned, "But it does give me another idea..."

* * *

"I'm home," Kairi called out, as she closed the door behind her. The Mayor of their town, the man who had been caring for her since she arrived on the island, shuffled slowly into the hallway.

"Welcome back," he offered traditionally, then frowned slightly when he noticed her panting and curious expression, "I thought you were going out with Selphie."

"I am," she said softly. Part of her had been hoping he wouldn't be there when she arrived.

"But it looks like we are going to out longer than I expected, so I need a few things... Grandfather," she told him, addressing him by the relationship she had just remembered they shared. His head rose quickly, and tears appeared in the corner of his eyes.

"You remember?" he asked, cautiously joyful.

"Only a little," she conceded, "I remembered when King Mickey rescued us and took us to his teacher. I couldn't see your face, but I recognized your voice and all the little paper-cut scars on your hands. Why didn't you tell me?"

"You forgot because it was too painful to remember. And I didn't want to risk hurting you any more," he answered gently, and she could only nod, "But now, if you'd like, we can talk."

"When I get back," she said evasively. The perceptive scholar was not fooled.

"You are leaving this world… again," he noted, and she bobbed her head again, unwilling to meet his eyes, "How?"

"Yen Sid sent a Gummi Ship to me," she answered, "I need to find Sora and Riku."

"Why now?" he prompted, slightly more desperate. She extended her arm, and her Keyblade sprang into being. He shuddered in fear, but then exhaled and steadied himself.

"You always have been like your grandmother," he admitted grudgingly, "Just… Just take care of yourself, ok?"

She embraced him, and said, "I will come back."

"I know you will, Little Light."

She turned and quickly ran upstairs to her room, afraid she might lose her resolve. After she closed and secured the door, she retrieved her bag, and dumped out all of her school supplies. She gathered a small pile of hygiene and beauty products, selecting the basic necessities and slipping them into the front pouch. She grabbed a towel and few changes of undergarments, and tucked them into the main section of the bag.

She briefly checked that the door was locked, and her windows covered, and then she unzipped her dress the rest of the way. As it peeled away from her body, her navel became visible in the gap between her short tank top and her bikini briefs. She studied her figure in the mirror for a moment, and then pushed away the slight vanity to focus on her primary reason for coming back. She opened her dresser and took out a pair of white, spandex bike shorts. She removed her shoes, and stepped into the aborted leggings. They slid smoothly past her knees, but clung slightly to her thighs and hips. She pulled them into place, the waistline of the pants moderately higher than that of her now covered panties. She caught up her dress, and zipped it back into place. Just over an inch of the shorts were visible under the bottom hemline of the skirt, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Kairi lifted her bag over her shoulder and raced out of the house, shouting a quick "Goodbye" before her father's father could stop her or even respond.

"Are you ready to go?" Gadget asked as the Keyblade user returned to the beach.

"Yes," Kairi smile slightly, and brushed her fingers against the bottom of her dress, "Now I can fight, without worrying I'm going to show everyone my underwear."

Selphie nodded with a wide grin, and lifted the hem of her skirt slightly to reveal the navy blue, spandex shorts she was wearing as well. The younger human picked her bag up from the beach, and moved to the hatch on the interplanetary vessel. Gadget darted inside and the two girls followed her though the ship's corridors, up to the cockpit. The mouse hopped from a chair up on the control panel, and began punching buttons, while the teens settled into two of the five chairs, and secured themselves.

"Alright," Selphie stared at Kairi intently, "Story time."

* * *

"… and Kingdom Hearts closed, leaving Riku and King Mickey on the other side," Kairi said softly, "After that, that broken world began to fall into the void. I tried to reach Sora, but I couldn't. Once everything was gone, I found myself back in Hollow Bastion again. I waited there a few days for Sora to come back; but he didn't, and Merlin said the paths between worlds were collapsing. So I let Leon and Yuffie bring me back to Destiny Islands."

Selphie just sat there, trying to absorb it all. After Gadget had maneuvered them away from Destiny Islands, and into the space between worlds, Kairi had begun the story of Sora's battle with the Heartless. She told her friend about the attack on the island, and her heart moving into Sora's body. From there, her tale became less coherent; she did not have perfect memories of her time bonded to her friend. She could recall the fights against Sora's shadow and Riku with perfect clarity. She felt like she knew Donald and Goofy quite well, but much of the rest was a blur of feelings and vague impressions. She knew what Aladdin looked like, and that he was a kind-hearted thief with a quick wit and good sense of humor, but she could not remember any specific conversations between Sora and Jasmine's beloved. And because of how frequently she had experienced them, she knew how Sora fought and some of the common powers of the Keyblade.

"So…" Selphie started and then paused, unsure.

"So those things on the beach were Heartless?" the nunchaku user asked dubiously.

"I don't know," Kairi said thoughtfully, "They didn't look like any Heartless I… Sora fought before, especially since they were all white like that. And they didn't _feel_ like Heartless. But they didn't feel natural either."

"Is that one of those Princess of Heart things?" Selphie asked, recovering a bit of her good humor.

"I don't know… maybe?" the Keyblade user seemed unsure.

"They sound like Nobodies," Gadget said, not looking up from the sensor readout.

"Nobodies?" Selphie repeated, "What are they?"

"They're kinda like the opposite of the Heartless," Gadget answered, still concentrating on the computer.

"They are beings of Light?" Kairi asked, confused, "That means they're on our side, right?"

"They didn't seem the good guys to me," Selphie asserted. Gadget turned to face them, her face scrunched up on deep thought.

"I'm not that good with the meta-physical stuff, so I might get some of this wrong," the mouse preempted, "But what I know is that when a Heart is separated from its Body and Soul, the Darkness in that Heart resonates with the Darkness all around us, and it forms a Heartless around the Heart. Without the Soul, the Heartless is mindless. It acts solely on instinct and emotion, so you _could_ say the Heartless aren't evil because they aren't malicious. But those instincts are purely destructive, and their emotions are tainted by Darkness, so they definitely aren't good, either."

Kairi nodded, and Selphie sighed as she considered that.

"When the Heart becomes a Heartless," the engineer continued, "The Body and Soul fade away into Nothing. But if the Body and Soul are strong enough, sometimes they return from Nothing as a new existence, a Nobody. Without a heart, the Nobodies have no emotions; but they do have minds, and memories. As a result, they can plan. But because those plans aren't tempered by feelings like compassion, or even shame, the Nobodies don't care who else gets hurt in the process. So they are pretty much as bad as the Heartless."

"So we have two enemies out there," Kairi frowned.

"Yeah, and the Nobodies are on the move," Gadget said, "They have been attacking Master Yen Sid's tower. I think that might be why his spell dropped me in the void, instead of sending me all the way to Destiny Islands."

"Alright, I'm going to need your help with this," the rodent told the humans, changing the subject, "We've been lucky so far, this section of space seems pretty empty. But if we come under attack, I'll have my hands full with keeping everything running. So I'll need one of you two to be the pilot, and the other to be the gunner."

Kairi and Selphie looked at each other again, and while the princess was surprised, the younger woman wore a look of ecstatic anticipation.

* * *

"Not bad," Gadget told Kairi, "with a little practice, you could give Dale a run for his money."

After each had tried out both sets of controls, they decided on the Keyblade user steering, and the nunchaku user firing the cannons. Gadget had found them a sparse asteroid field to get some practice, and both girls settled fairly naturally into their roles.

"But it looks like we're coming up on the next world," the mouse told them, and Selphie put on a mock pout. The icon on the scanner was of a large city, on an island, in a river. It boasted many tall skyscrapers. The island was closer to one bank of the river than the other, and while the close side had a number of small connections, the wider side of the river was spanned by a single, very large, highly ornate bridge.

"The computer says this is St. Canard," Gadget informed them, then her eyes went wide and her voice rose, "And I'm also detecting lots of Heartless down there! Especially on that big bridge. And it looks like someone is fighting them!"

Selphie looked at Kairi questioningly, and the older girl nodded firmly.

"OK, Gadget, get us down there," the teen manifested Innocent Snowfall as she darted towards the door. The younger woman followed, collecting her weapon from where she had leaned it against the wall and a console.

"Aye aye, captain," the mouse girl answered, putting the ship into a steep dive. She pulled up just above the pavement, at the rear guard of the throng of Shadows and Soldiers, and triggered the hatch. The two humans were already swinging as they hopped out of the transport.

In the middle of the army of Heartless was a lone duck, in a wide brimmed fedora, trench coat, and cloth strip mask. He was sturdily built, and short enough that he could have looked Selphie straight in the chin. He kicked out, sending a Soldier flying, and then fired his ornate gun. A compact cylinder emerged from the weapon, and when it hit the pavement, it flash froze all of the Heartless in a seven-foot radius. Before they could thaw, Kairi dropped lightning bolts on them, finishing the dark creatures. The two girls fought their way through the Heartless, reaching the masked mallard.

"Do you need some help?" Selphie prompted. He just stared at them incredulously, as he punted a Shadow that reached for him.

"Help? Me?" he scoffed, "Don't you know who I am?"

Selphie shook her head, and Kairi offered, "We're not from round here," as she bashed another Heartless out of existence. The anthropomorphic fowl looked annoyed for a moment, then smirked.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night," he informed them grandiosely, "I am the Wite-Out™ that cleans up your spilled ink. I am Darkwing Duck!"

"And I don't need any help dealing with wimps like these," he asserted, firing his pistol, and then karate chopping a Soldier.

"But if you little girls intend to fight these creatures, it _is_ my job as a superhero to help you," a hitch in his voice gave lie to his bravado.

"Little?" Selphie mouthed silently at her friend, as the whirling end of her bludgeon sent a Shadow flying even as it started to disintegrate. Kairi smiled at her in amusement.

"Are you sure, Mr. Duck?" the princess prompted, sidestepping a Soldier and then smacking it in the back of it helmet, "The Heartless can be pretty dangerous."

"Really?" his demeanor changed and he raised an eyebrow, "In that case, let's get dangerous."


	3. Chapter 3

"See… that wasn't so tough," Darkwing panted slightly, examining a hole in his cape.

"Cure," Kairi responded, catching both Selphie and Darkwing in the restorative spell. The younger teen smiled in thanks; but the crime fighter frowned, and began examining the ground.

"What where those things?" he pondered, "And what were they doing in my town?"

He whirled around to confront the girls, proclaiming, "You called them Heartless. Does that mean you know something about them?"

Before they could answer, an annoyed and anguished cry cut them off.

"Ah, man, what did you do?" the humanoid rat shrieked. He was taller than Darkwing, and the tip of his electrical plug hat put him on the level with Selphie. He wore a yellow jumpsuit, with an outlet on his chest and an oversized battery strapped to his back.

"I ended a public nuisance, Megavolt," the hero noted smugly.

"You defeated my whole squad?" he complained, "Do you know how hard I had to work to get this big of a troop? Well, this is the last amp, Dimbulb Duck. I'm going to power you down, permanently!"

He pointed his hands at them, and bolts of blue electricity shot at them.

"Friend of yours?" Selphie asked pointedly. Darkwing ignored her, but glanced at Kairi as he dove to the side.

"Hey, tall girl," he called for her attention, "Can you create lightning again?"

"Her name is Kairi," Selphie yelled at him, "Ka-I-Ri! And my name is Selphie, not little girl."

"Not really the time," Darkwing noted in a singsong voice, dancing away from another shock. Megavolt was ignoring the newcomers, instead focusing all his efforts on the fighting fowl. As he flipped out of the way the masked mallard met Kairi's eyes, and his expression asked her for an answer. The Keyblade user nodded slightly, and Darkwing smirked as he landed. He stealthily loaded a special cartridge into his gas gun, and turned to face the villain

"Megavolt, your powers are as unstable as your personality," the crime fighter taunted, "You couldn't hit the broad side of a metal barn."

"We'll see who is unstable when all the TVs in St Canard rise up against their oppressors!" the rat shouted back, "Not that you'll be around to find out."

He started to build up a charge, running power up and down both arms. Darkwing grinned pleasantly, and shot Megavolt in the chest. The claw grabbed the stylized outlet, still connected to the gun by a steel wire. The duck fired the pistol again, and the other end of the cord wrapped around one of the bridge's giant support cables.

"This is your big plan?" Megavolt mocked, "to ground me and hope I'd waste my energy? Fool me once, shame on you; fool me again… Um… where are my bolt cutters?"

The electrical villain paused, and began to feel around his belt.

"Carrie, now," Darkwing ordered, backing off.

"Kairi!" Selphie shouted.

"Thunder!" Kairi incanted. A lance of lightning dropped from the sky, hitting the rat's hat, and illuminating both the villain and the cord connecting him to the bridge. Once the glow faded, Megavolt dropped to his knees, panting in exhaustion. Darkwing fired his weapon, and this time a green goo trapped the villain, who began snoring lightly.

"What did you do?" Selphie asked.

"His powers are tied to his emotions," the hero explained smugly, "Get Megavolt riled up, ground him, and then give him a jump start, and the energy drains right out of him."

He shifted his attention from his foe back to the girls.

"Now, I think you two need to come with me," he said sternly, "And bring that weird plane of yours, we can't just leave it in the street."

* * *

"Will you cut that out?" Darkwing demanded in exasperation. Selphie was wandering around the Duck's lair, staring intently at the computers, the scientific equipment, and the trophies. Meanwhile Gadget was crawling all over the duckbill shaped fighter jet sitting next to Gummi Ship.

"It's like a real superhero hideout!" the nunchaku wielder exclaimed.

"It _is_ a real superhero hideout," he complained, his annoyance growing. Then he addressed the rodent engineer, "Get down from there!"

"But do you know the kind of genius to would take to balance the lift and thrust to make an airplane with this shape fly?" the blonde mouse said in awe.

"More like an idiot savant," Darkwing commented to himself. Then, with a sigh of defeat, he turned to the princess, seated calmly at the conference table in the center of the room. Kairi watched her teammates with a mixture of amusement and embarrassment. And when the masked mallard approached her, she met his gaze with equal determination.

"Alright, talk," Darkwing said gruffly. Even standing, he was only looking the sitting girl straight in the eyes.

"You humans have been trouble every time I've run into you," he added pointedly, then more kindly said, "You two girls don't seem too bad. But you also know something about those Heartless creatures, so I can't be to careful."

Kairi nodded, understanding his concerns, vaguely recalling someone else confronting Sora with similar fears of outsiders. She opened her mouth to start to explain, when the trapdoor burst open, and the three warriors all tensed.

"DW!" a medium pitched caterwaul erupted into the room, followed closely by a large duck with an even larger, cleft chin. The newcomer was over six feet tall and barrel-chested, towering over all of them. He wore an aviator's jacket and cap with goggles.

"DW," he shouted again, charging over to Darkwing, wheezing.

"Launchpad, what is it?" Darkwing looked at his friend in concern.

"Negaduck.... the house... black things... Gosalyn!" the taller fowl panted incoherently. The last word caught the costumed fighter's attention.

"What about Gosalyn?" he demanded desperately.

"Who is Gosalyn?" Selphie asked, moving to join them, her awe and wonder displaced by the mood.

"My daughter," Darkwing's voice was worried. Kairi stepped up, leading Launchpad over to a chair.

"Tell us what happened, " the Keyblade user prompted soothingly, "Take it slow."

"I was makin' a sandwich, when suddenly the windows went dark, like it was night," the pilot explained, "There was a crash in the hall, and I went to investigate. Negaduck had kicked in the door and he was with a bunch of weird little black monsters. They were all over the whole house. He pointed this weird box at me, and then told the monsters it wasn't me. At that point, Gosalyn came out of her room, to find out what was goin' on. Negaduck pointed the box at her and it lit up. He told the monsters to take her, and when I tried to stop him, he kicked me in the stomach. When I came to, they were gone, so I ran straight here."

"Is this revenge? Maybe some kinda trap?" Launchpad asked his friend, after a brief pause to breathe.

"I don't think so," the detective started pacing, "He didn't mention me, or tell you to tell me, did he?"

Launchpad shook his head.

"He was after Gosalyn specifically," Darkwing decided, "But why?"

Then he stopped, with a serious look, "I guess I'll have to go ask him."

"We'll come too," Kairi insisted softly yet firmly.

"What?" the hero sputtered in surprise, then he looked at them suspiciously, "Why?"

Kairi summoned Innocent Snowfall, and Launchpad almost fell out of his chair from the weapon's sudden appearance.

"Your enemy is working with the Heartless, probably controlling them. And this Keyblade means it is my responsibility to protect people from the Heartless, and to stop anyone who allies with them," she informed him. He met her eyes, and after a few moments, he nodded.

"But DW, we don't know where Negaduck is," Launchpad pointed out.

"Sure we do, LP," the masked Duck grinned again, "He's where ever those Heartless things are most concentrated. It shouldn't be too hard to find that."

"I'll get the Thunderquack prepped," the aviator scrambled to his feet.

"No, old friend, you should stay here. Besides, we'll need to be closer to the ground. Do you have the second sidecar ready for the Ratcatcher?"

* * *

"I haven't noticed any spots where there are noticeably more Heartless," Kairi shouted over the roar of the motorcycle's engine and the wind. On the other side, Selphie whooped joyfully as she knocked away another of the weird, glowing motorcycle shaped Heartless.

"Maybe not," Darkwing agreed, "But I think I just saw a lead."

He skidded the bike to a stop, and Kairi smashed a Soldier that darted towards them. Besides the lone armored Heartless, the rest of the inky monsters seemed to be keeping their distance.

The princess of Radiant Garden noticed what had made Darkwing pull over. Leaning against one of the buildings was what she had assumed was a potted plant. Except there was no planter. The 'plant' also had a duck-bill sticking out above its branches, and as Darkwing approached, it opened its eyes.

"Bushroot," the caped hero exclaimed, "I take it you're in on this, too? Outta my way."

"I have no intention of stopping you," the floral duck told them, "If I did, I would have been waiting inside to ambush you, instead of standing out here, hoping you would notice me."

The girls both frowned, and Darkwing snarled, "I don't have time for tricks."

"No trick," the eco-terrorist stepped aside, leaving his hands visible, "You should know my style by now, Darkwing. I hate all the unnatural things people do, the way they treat the environment. Well, you could pave over the entire world, and it wouldn't be more unnatural then even one of these Heartless."

"That's why they're keeping their distance," Selphie realized.

"Then why don't you help us," Kairi requested.

"And go against Negaduck? Are you nuts?" he shuddered in fear, "In fact, could you guys rough me up a little, so he thinks I tried to fight you off?"

"Come on," Darkwing swept past the green villain.

"Please?" Bushroot called after them, "Just one punch in the beak?"

* * *

"Are you sure he's in there?" Selphie whispered as they took a breather outside the suite. The elevator was disabled, so they were forced to take the stairs, fighting Soldiers and Barrel Spiders on each of the eight landings, before finally reaching the top floor.

"Yes," Darkwing nodded, "according to the directory, this floor has the biggest office and the best view of the city. Negaduck is too vain to settle for anything else. Ready?"

He gave them a brief once over as he asked that. Selphie had taken a hard hit on the platform between the third and fourth floors, and though Kairi had patched her friend up with a Cure spell and a Potion, Darkwing did not fully trust magic, particularly for healing. But the nunchaku wielder nodded, raring to go. The Duck kicked in the door, with the two Humans following close behind.

The office was mostly empty, its furniture removed by the new occupants. On one wall was an operating table, with a small Duck girl strapped to it. Instead of her usual pigtails, Gosalyn Mallard's orange hair hung loose and limp. The child was unconscious, but still breathing; and strapped to her chest was a large contraption. There was some sort of machinery on the top and bottom of the device, but the majority was a large, hollow, glass cylinder. It hummed ominously, and red and orange lights blinked rhythmically.

Standing over the girl was an unknown figure, wearing a white duster similar in style, if not in color, to Axel's coat. Though it was obvious from her figure that she was female, the hood of the floor length coat was drawn over her head, hiding her face in shadows. She was taller than either of the teens, but that was all they could really tell. She glanced over at them briefly, her face still invisible; but ultimately remained focused on Gosalyn.

"Who are you?" her voice was high, and her tone was amused and superior.

"I am the terror that flaps in the night…" Darkwing began, but he was cut off.

"You are the vainglorious blowhard," an eerily familiar voice interrupted, "that bores us into submission. Blah, blah, blah."

"Well, you're sooner than I expected," the mocker noted, moving forward. Negaduck's voice was almost the same as Darkwing's, only a few registers lower and much more sinister. The criminal mastermind stepped into the light, and like his voice, his appearance was a villainous reflection of Darkwing; he wore an identical costume, except in orange and black instead of purple. And instead of the gas gun, he casually carried a chainsaw.

"Shadows," Negaduck called, and the Heartless sprang up between him and the three rescuers.

"Blizzard," Kairi destroyed almost half of the tiny monsters with her first spell. Negaduck looked vaguely worried, and the white robed figure finally turned away from Gosalyn. Though Kairi still could not see her face, she could feel the woman's attention focus on her Keyblade.

"Negaduck," the woman hailed him in an even tone, "Though your part of our bargain is not quite finished, I will give you your final payment, that you might deal with these interlopers."

"It's about time," the villain crowed, "Hit me."

The woman raised her left hand and began to gesture at the felonious Duck. More Shadows rose out of the floor, and swarmed over the orange clad criminal.

"They're going to steal your Heart," Kairi shouted in warning, but the woman snorted in response. The Heartless flowed over his body, merging and changing shape. They surrounded Negaduck with armor, giving him the illusion of increased height and mass, until he loomed ominously over them. He had a spiked chest plate instead of his trenchcoat, and now wore heavily reinforced gloves and boots. Lastly, a black mask covered his bill.

"This is it," Negaduck roared, his voice deeper, darker, and possessed with an unnatural echo, "The power of Darkness. The power to grind this world to powder under my heel. Negaduck is no more, I am now Negawarrior Duck."

"And if you wish to remain that way," the mysterious figure counseled, "You will keep the Keyblade wielder busy until my task is complete."

Negaduck lifted his left hand, and a second chainsaw levitated from the corner into his waiting grasp. Both weaponized tools roared to life, even though he did not pull their starters. Darkwing hopped backwards, and fired his gas gun at the enhanced villain. The cartridge struck Negaduck in the chest, but he did not seem to notice. The next instant, the capsule started to spray a dense green mist around Negaduck, but he charged forward, unconcerned.

"Sorry, your knockout gas won't work on me now," he mocked as he swung his right hand weapon at Kairi. The chainsaw whined as it failed to damage the Keyblade, but the Human was pushed back by the Duck's enhanced bulk and strength. Selphie turned over the arms of her nunchaku, sacrificing flexibility by wrapping part of the chain around the ends of the sticks, so they would not be cut through. She knew that the reinforced wood alone would be no match for the motorized saws. As Negaduck raised his second weapon to try to bisect Kairi, the younger teen darted in, and jabbed the ends of her nunchaku into Negaduck's ribs, and then quickly turned the weapon back to catch his chain with hers. Unfortunately, Selphie's weapon did not have the same power as the Keyblade, and after a moment of straining, the mechanical blade tore apart the metal links. One shot out through the window, shattering it, and another struck Negaduck in the face, causing him to grunt in shock.

Darkwing took advantage of the brief time that Negaduck's weapons were engaged. He charged forwards, and landed a heavy jump kick to his rival's face. He then pushed off, propelling himself up and back, and fired his pistol again. The villain yelped when the capsule hit his uncovered neck, and this time the shell exploded into a mass of lime gel, which hardened over Negaduck's face, chest, and upper arms.

"He broke it," Selphie pouted, but Darkwing didn't have time for that.

"Gosalyn!" he yelled, starting to run towards his daughter. But before he had taken three steps, Negaduck flexed his artificial muscles, and the coagulant shattered. He stabbed his roaring saw at the distracted hero, and might have beheaded his nemesis, had Kairi not interceded. The princess swung Innocent Snowfall overhand, driving the point of the chainsaw into the floor. She leaned forward, putting all her weight on the motorized tool, and the saw began to hiss and sputter.

"What are you doing?" Negaduck growled, bringing around his other weapon. Selphie swung the broken chains of her nunchaku up, wrapping one each around his left wrist and elbow. She hauled back, but was nearly lifted off the floor by the criminal. Then she jumped, unwrapping the chains and scissoring the short staves at his elbow, where there was a gap between his gauntlet and chest armor. This time Negaduck's exclamation sounded hurt rather than simply surprised or annoyed. With Selphie's suddenly shifting her weight from opposing to helping, Negaduck's swing at Kairi went shallow, and he struck his own right arm instead of the Keyblade wielder. His armor stopped the chainsaw from cutting into him, but that bought Kairi and Darkwing the time they needed. Pushed past its limit, the chain on his trapped saw snapped, tagging its owner's leg before vanishing into the device. Darkwing finished reloading, and lifted his gas gun, warning them, "Get back."

Both of the girls sprang away. Darkwing fired three quick shots, but instead of knockout gas, or frost, or goo, the cartridges exploded violently on impact. The first struck Negaduck's stomach, staggering him. The second hit him in the nose, snapping his head back and making him stumble. The third struck the right side of his chest, pushing him almost back to the windows. It also caused some light splintering to appear in the armor of Darkness. But without a moment's pause, Negaduck threw his damaged chainsaw at Kairi, and caught up the working weapon in both hands, slicing back and forth in broad strokes as he charged them again.

"Drat!" Darkwing cursed in ill concealed desperation.

"What?" Kairi asked as she rolled forward, past the criminal.

"Those were my strongest ordinance," he explained, firing a smoke bomb at his twin's face as he darted back, "Shaped charge rounds designed to bust tank armor, or Gizmo-duck _when_ he goes bad, without hurting the people inside. But they didn't do anything to him."

"You cracked his armor," Selphie noted. Negaduck brought his chainsaw around, and Kairi blocked with her Keyblade. But this time his strength was too much, and she was knocked across the room into Darkwing. The Duck shoved her off him as gently as he could, and staggered to his feet.

"Cure," Kairi re-energized the two of them, but Selphie was out of range.

"We have to work together," she told him, "Alone, none of us are strong enough to fight him. Fire!"

She created a small sphere of flame, and aimed it at the crack in Negaduck's breastplate. Though it did not appear to damage him, it distracted the villain long enough to save Selphie's literal neck. Darkwing looked thoughtfully at the end of her Keyblade and then back at his nemesis.

"You might have a point," he agreed, loading his gun with a light blue cartridge, "You have ice powers, don't you?"

Kairi nodded, and Selphie dodged another swipe, shouting, "A little help here?"

"If we chill him together..." he suggested, swapping his ammo again.

"I understand," she said, pointing Innocent Snowfall at the villain. Darkwing fired and Kairi incanted, "Blizzard!"

The freeze grenade and the magical ice struck Negaduck at nearly the same time, freezing him solid.

"Selphie, hit the damaged point," Darkwing instructed, charging forward. After a moment's recovery, Kairi followed. The wielder of the destroyed nunchaku swung the chain wrapped ends of her weapon at the cracked portion of the Heartless armor, expanding the gaps. She then slid back as Darkwing landed another jump kick on the dented protection.

"Mission complete," the woman in the white duster announced, even as the Keyblade slammed into Negaduck, and the armor shattered. It fell to pieces, and as it did, numerous Hearts were released from the disintegrating Darkness, floating upwards and disappearing. On either side of the villain, the two Humans each encountered her own oddity. On Negaduck's right, a small sphere fell out of the crumbling Heartless, and rolled next to Kairi's foot. As the girl observed it, she thought it looked like a magic crystal, but it had neither a color nor an inner glow. As she suspected, when she touched the orb, it melted into her skin; but she felt neither new power nor understanding. And on Negaduck's left, a single sheet of paper fluttered towards the floor, and Selphie caught it up with a frown. The villain dropped to one knee, restored to normal.

The three allies turned their attention back to the woman, who stepped away from Gosalyn, holding the containment unit that had been attached to the young Duck's chest. Inside the glass cylinder floated a Heart. But unlike the other Hearts Kairi had seen, both on her own and through Sora, this one was coppery instead of pink, in both color and in its metallic texture. Also, while most Hearts were half opaque and half translucent, this one was solid, except at the outer edges. The teen Humans watched, but the captured Heart did not transform into a Heartless. Darkwing rushed over to his daughter, who was no longer visibly breathing.

"Gosalyn?" the hero begged, but the young Duck did not respond. The woman gestured, and a pool of Darkness opened. As she started to step through, Negaduck called out to his accomplice.

"Wait, our deal," the criminal whined, "My power."

"Our deal is complete," the woman answered callously, "I have the Heart, and I gave you the power you wanted. It is not my fault you could to hold on to it."

"No, you promised I would be able to conquer St Canard," he complained, "Just give me more power."

"You could have taken this world, if not for the Keyblade," she informed him, "which is not from this world, thus beyond our arrangement."

They could feel her cruel grin, even if they couldn't see her face, and she shrugged, "Besides, you're at your limit. If I summoned the armor again, the Shadows would just take your Heart. Unless that is your desire?"

Negaduck stepped back, worried, and she took advantage of that to complete her escape. Once she was gone, Negaduck turned on them with a growl. He lunged for his dropped chainsaw, but Selphie slammed her right pole into the back of his head. The villain's eyes crossed, and he dropped to the carpet.

Darkwing turned to the Humans, holding his daughter's body.

"She's breathing, but barely," he whispered, his emotions a jumble, "We need to get her back to the lair. I can examine her there."

* * *

"I don't understand," Darkwing shouted, punched the monitor lightly. Gosalyn lay on a Darkwing's emergency bed, hooked up to a variety of machines. They beeped and blinked dismally, most flashing warning lights.

"It looks like all of her metabolic functions have slowed by a factor of eleven," the part-time scientist said as much for himself as for them, "breathing, heart rate, everything. Except her brainwaves, which are flipping between off the charts and nonexistent. This doesn't make any sense."

He turned to Kairi, and demanded, "What did she do to my daughter?"

"That woman took Gosalyn's Heart," the princess explained.

"But why is she still here?" Selphie asked worriedly, "I thought once a person's Heart was taken, their Body faded away?"

Darkwing froze in fear at the implication, but Kairi shook her head, as did Gadget.

"When a person becomes a Heartless, that's when their Body and Soul fade into Nothing," the Gummi Ship operator reminded.

"That jar prevented Gosalyn's Heart from becoming a Heartless, I think," Kairi pondered, "And because of that, her Body is waiting. Just like mine was."

"Darn it," Darkwing ripped of his mask and dashed it to the floor, "What good is being a hero if I can't protect the people important to me?"

Launchpad put a comforting hand on his mentor's shoulder. Kairi knelt down to pick up the cloth strip, and as she did it started to glow and floated up into the air. The Keyblade appeared in her hand, and as she had on Destiny Islands, she pointed the key at the talisman. The beam shot out through one of the windows high above the floor, illuminating the Keyhole in the sky. The click echoed through the hideout, and both of the other females looked at their leader expectantly.

"Darkwing, we will get Gosalyn's Heart back," Kairi declared, and the despondent hero looked up at her curiously.

"How?"

"A new path has opened," Gadget explained.

"And even if that woman isn't on the next world," Selphie said hopefully, "We'll keep finding new paths until we track her down, and make her give back Gosalyn's Heart."

Darkwing stood resolutely, and stated, "I'm coming with you."

"You can't," the tiny rodent shook her head.

"Why not?" he countered in a dangerous tone.

"Because you need to be here," Kairi asserted gently, before Gadget could say anything more. She handed him back his mask and explained, "You need to stay with Gosalyn; her family should be close by, to anchor her."

"Besides," Selphie added, "It's not like St Canard is safe. There were still plenty of Heartless out there as we were coming back."

"And without Negaduck controlling them," the princess nodded, "They may revert to their normal habits, and start stealing every Heart they can. This city needs her hero."

"OK," the Duck tied his mask back into place firmly, "But then I have something for you two."

He walked over to one of the cabinets and flung it open. Inside were a variety of weapons. Darkwing took down an oversized nunchaku and a second gas gun, and turned back to the girls.

"Sel-phie," he deliberately over-pronounced her name, extending the bludgeon, "Your weapon was destroyed, but I think this will work for you. It was a parting shot from my master, Goose Lee. He said I would never be a true martial artist until I could master the Dragon Chucks. But they are too tall for me."

"Thank you," she said fervently, taking the weapon. The oak arms were reinforced with bronze, decorated with a green dragon lacquer, and ended with a stylized dragon's head on one, and the tail on the other. She spun the nunchaku experimentally, marveling at the perfect balance.

"Kairi," Darkwing turned to the taller girl apologetically, "I don't have any giant key/axe things, but I hope this will come in handy. You never can tell when you'll need a smoke screen, or a grappling hook..."

She took the pistol, and in her hands, it shrank to a tenth of its original size, and a chain with a clasp on the end appeared.

"...or a small novelty item to hold your house keys," he concluded in confusion. Kairi smiled lightly, and clipped the new Keychain on, Innocent Snowfall popping free automatically. The Keyblade grew shorter by almost half, but the haft also grew much thicker. The stylized snowflakes changed as well; the hand guard became the outline of a fedora, and the tines transformed into a flowing cape, with a cutout in the shape of the gas gun.

"Masked Crusader," she told them, "A Keyblade that is designed for up close combat."

"Huh," Darkwing could only grunt in surprise.

"We'll be back as soon as we can," Kairi hugged him gently.

"Thank you," he whispered so only she could hear him. Then more loudly, informed them, "Well if you take to long, I might just come after you."

The three young women entered the Gummi Ship, and the odd vessel shot into the sky.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Mysterious Journal, Page 74**_

_I can't believe it happened again! This time, Braig stole my notes on the negative memory engrams of the Shadow type Heartless. First Ienzo, then Even, now this. _

_I suppose it is partly my fault; if I'm going to borrow their labs after hours, I should do a better job of cleaning up afterwards. _

_But still, who do they think is doing this, the research fairy? They probably think that they are poaching each other's work. After all those idiots would do anything to impress __Xehan...__ Master Ansem. It would never even occur to those sexist pigs that the 'assistant' that they belittle and overlook might be fetching coffee and taking notes during the day, and completing research beyond their primitive mumblings at night. After all, they can't even remember my name._

_Which isn't to imply Master Ansem is like that. He is far more brilliant than any of us, and there is no way he would ever forget my name. Not that the others give him a chance to speak with me. But once I complete my control research, Master Ansem will have no choice but to acknowledge me._

* * *

Kairi looked on silently as Selphie finished reading the diary fragment. En route to the next world, the two girls had had the chance to get a decent night's sleep in the ship's small crew quarters and grab a brief breakfast in the ship's small galley. Rested and fed, they examined the sheet of paper the younger woman had found after the fight.

"Ansem; that's the guy who possessed Riku, right?" the nunchaku wielder asked carefully.

"Probably," the princess agreed, "I don't think it's a common name. And two Ansems who both researched Heartless seems too farfetched."

"And the woman who stole Gosalyn's heart worked for him," Selphie mused.

"It sounds like it," Kairi frowned thoughtfully. Before they could continue their conversation, Gadget's voice came over the intercom.

"We finally reached the next world," the mouse engineer announced, "The computer says it is called Middleton. And guys, there's a whole bunch of Heartless there too."

* * *

He pushed open the door unceremoniously, kicking up a cloud of dust. Since the previous inhabitant's destruction, no one had entered the room. Of course, the new guest had been the one to eliminate the owner of the lab.

"Now, where did you hide it, Vexen?" Axel asked the empty space, glancing around at the cluttered shelves.


	5. Chapter 5

Innocent Snowfall flashed, and a simian Heartless broke apart. As the Gummi Ship landed, Kairi had switched from Masked Crusader back to the snowflake Keyblade, preferring the greater reach and the boost to her magic.

The street was full of Powerwilds, the monkey Heartless numbering at least three-dozen. They had surrounded two humans, a red-haired teen girl and blonde teen boy. Both looked to be a few years older than Kairi or Selphie. The young woman was wearing a cropped, white T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan "Property of Middleton High Cheer Squad", and tan slacks. Her partner wore a red T-shirt over a black long-sleeved shirt and khaki cargo pants. Kairi and Selphie pushed forward, trying to reach the couple before the Heartless overwhelmed them. As they fought their way through the monsters, one of the monkeys jumped at the red-haired warrior, but she fired a perfectly timed right palm thrust at the creature's chest. The Heartless flew back, breaking apart, and Kairi's eyes widened admiration.

"Dragon Cyclone," Selphie cried out as she spun forward, knocking away two of the Powerwilds.

"Dragon Cyclone?" Kairi paused and looked at her friend curiously.

"I thought since I had these cool new Dragon Chucks, maybe I should start naming my attacks," the younger teen said sheepishly. Kairi shook her head with a sigh, and Selphie stuck her tongue out at the older girl.

"Heeya, wohoo, ya!" the blonde man darted forwards, his arms flailing wildly. As he approached the line of Heartless, the closest Powerwild charged out to meet him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the teen cried out in surprise, dashing back towards his original position. As he arrived, the following Heartless jumped. With grace belying his inept aggression and fearful retreat, he instinctively slid as partner turned and threw a roundhouse kick over his head. Her foot collided with the Powerwild's head, and it died in a flash of evaporating ink.

"Ron!" the cheerleader chided her boyfriend in slight exasperation, "I thought you were past the whole 'fear of monkeys' thing!"

"Sure, KP, for normal monkeys," he said sagely, unperturbed, "But freaky blue monster monkeys are a whole other story."

"I mean, come on," his voice rose half an octave in complaint as he continued, "They disintegrate if you hit them hard enough."

Another of the Heartless darted in, aiming for the redhead's unguarded back, and this time she was too tied up to notice. But a bolt of pink detached from Ron, and intercepted the monkey. From Kairi's vantage point, she could see what looked like a shaved hamster grab onto the simian's tail, and bite down hard. The Heartless let out a shriek, and the little rodent scampered up its back, and punched it in the nose. As the Heartless broke apart, the little animal fell into the blonde teen's waiting hands.

"Way to rock the mystical monkey powers, Rufus," Ron crowed.

"Ehh, monkey," the naked mole rat's voice was barely intelligible, but distinctly derisive.

"Fire!" As Kairi and Selphie drew closer, the Keyblade wielder shot down a Powerwild that slipped past Ron's wild thrashing and Rufus's skilled jumps. As they worked their way through the thinning crowd of monsters, the Princess of Heart noticed the Heartless were focused on the redhead. Though individual monkeys would fight back if she, Selphie, or Rufus hit them, in general they only were attacking the oldest girl. The youngest of the teens swung her new weapon around, and the dragon's sharpened tail carved through another pair of the primates. But one was only wounded by the attack, and sprang forward, slashing Selphie's left arm, and nearly tagging her face, but she was able to swing the other end of her nunchaku up and finish the Heartless before it connected again.

"Cure!" Kairi erased the cuts on her friend's forearm, and then backhanded another simian with her Keyblade.

"How many of them are there?" Selphie panted slightly despite the restorative.

"I didn't count," Kairi said, "but it looks like between the five of us we've taken care of just about half of them. Once we reach those three, we can go back to back, which should make the last push easier."

"OK, let's do it," Selphie caught her second wind, for in the few seconds they stopped to talk, the Heartless went back to ignoring them, a fact not lost on Kairi. She and Selphie began smashing the agile monsters again, and after only a minute and another six Powerwilds, the duo broke through into the eye of the storm. As they reached the older couple, Kairi noticed red marks through a number of tears in the redhead's shirts sleeves and pants, as well as a set of deep claw tracks across her bare and toned stomach.

"Cure!" she intoned again, exhausting her magic. The redhead's eyes widened in surprise as her injuries vanished, and Selphie finished a Powerwild that one of Ron's random kicks knocked into her range. The older teen looked like she wanted to question them, but a new trio of monkey Heartless attacked her before she could open her mouth. The Keyblade flashed down, crowning the left most blue primate, and the cheerleader destroyed the others with a quick set of hand strikes, ending with a back flip kick. There were only nine of the monsters left, and they all stampeded in at once. Selphie chose the better part of valor, using a wide, weak sweep of her nunchaku to force the simians back without doing much damage to them. Ron landed a seemingly random backfist, destroying one, while Kairi's quick thrusts with the Key took out two of the monkeys Selphie had forced back, plus the one directly in front of her. Kim and Selphie each smashed two of the Heartless, and Rufus's oddly powerful bites and kicks finished the last one.

"Not to harsh on the save," the older girl addressed them, "But who are you guys?"

"Isn't it common courtesy to introduce yourself before asking someone else's name?" Selphie asked pointedly. The redhead looked at Ron, who shrugged.

"I got that all the time at Yamanochi," he said, "It's a Japanese thing. But they don't look Japanese…"

"What's 'Japanese'?" Selphie mumbled with a frown.

"I'm Kim Possible," the cheerleader told them, "This is Ron Stoppable, and that's Rufus."

"Hiya," the rodent squeaked, climbing onto Ron's shoulder.

"My name is Kairi," the Keyblade wielder offered.

"And I'm Selphie Tilmitt," she took her chucks in her left hand, leaning them against her shoulder, and extended her right hand. Kim shook it with a wily grin.

"Names are all well and good," the older girl informed them, "but it doesn't really answer my question. I don't recognize you from school, and most people wouldn't rush into a bunch of 'freaky blue monster monkeys' to help a couple of strangers."

"It's kind of our job," Kairi evaded, "I guess you could call us monster hunters."

"Well, there goes that theory," Ron said, mainly to himself.

"What theory?" Kairi asked.

"Ron thought one of our enemies cooked these things up," Kim answered, "Like Monkey Fist or Dr. Drakken."

"That's not entirely out of the question," Selphie told them.

"Huh?" Ron grunted, "Why not?"

"These… monsters are pretty mercenary," Kairi told them, "They could be working for your enemies. That might explain why they were targeting Kim."

"You noticed that too," the cheerleader grinned mirthlessly.

"Yes," Kairi nodded, "But it is not how they operate normally, so that would make sense if one of your enemies were controlling them."

"Do you think they'll go after KP again?" Ron looked worried.

"I…" Kairi paused to consider her response, but sensed the older girl was strong enough to hear the truth, "I think it is likely."

"What can we do?" the young man asked, glancing fondly at the cheerleader.

"If they are working with your enemies, we need to find out who, and stop them," Selphie said, as if it were obvious.

"And if they're not?" Kim prompted.

"That's hard to say," Kairi shook her head, "They aren't acting like normal, so someone must be directing them. But if it isn't one of your normal opponents, we would have to determine why they are after you, Kim."

"And in the mean time, would you two be willing to play bodyguard for her?" the sidekick pressed the younger girls. Selphie smirked and shrugged as if to say it was no problem, but Kairi looked mildly dubious. Kim, however, protested.

"I can take care of myself, Ron," she informed him, mildly annoyed.

"Yeah, most of the time," he agreed, "but these monster things aren't like monkey ninjas or syntho-drones. There is something... wrong about them. And what if they come after you at home?"

Her look of annoyance softened, remembering the times her parents and brothers had been put in danger by her exploits.

"Well, you two are from out of town, right?" Kim turned her attention back to the younger girls. Kairi nodded.

"And have you found a place to stay?" the redhead prompted.

"Not yet," Kairi fibbed slightly, agreeing with Ron.

"Then, if it's OK with you guys and my parents, you can bunk with me tonight," she offered, "And we'll take it from there."

* * *

"So, how do you know Kim?" Anne Possible asked her guests as she started to clear her dishes from the table. Kim's father was out of town, but her mother readily agreed to let the duo stay. She had drawn Kim into helping prepare dinner before the teens could talk, and both of the guests had jumped in to assist as well.

"Oh, ummm..." Selphie sputtered into her glass of water.

"Kairi and Selphie saved me from an ambush a while back," Kim exaggerated the timeline glibly, "And when they came into town suddenly, I just had to have them spend the night."

"Aren't you a little old for a sleepover?" one of the twins suggested; Kairi thought it was Tim.

"Mind your own business, tweeb," the redhead told him crossly.

"Kim, don't call your brothers that" the brain surgeon chastised, "And Tim and Jim, you two leave your sister and her friends alone."

"Yes, Mom," the boys chimed in unison, but Jim Possible continued to stare raptly at Selphie.

"Come on, I'll show you my room," Kim told them, as she placed her dishes in the sink.

"Shouldn't we help clean up?" Kairi asked politely, but Anne Possible shook her head.

"You three go ahead," she told them, "Tim and Jim will help me with the dishes."

Kim led them up to the second floor, and then up to her room in the converted attic. She closed the door in the floor, and locked it.

"Why did you lock it?" Kairi queried.

"So the tweebs can't spy on us," Kim grinned at them.

"So, what's the sitch?" she asked, gesturing for them to have a seat on her bed. Then she opened her closet, took out both her mission bed kit and her spare, and turned on the mattress pumps.

"What's the what?" Selphie asked as the airbeds silently inflated, mirroring Kairi's expression of confusion. Kim completed unrolling the sleeping bags, and sat down in her desk chair.

"The 'sitch'," Kim said again, "the situation. What are those monkey monsters, and what do they want with me?"

"They aren't all shaped like monkeys," Selphie put forth.

"They are called Heartless," Kairi explained softly, "And if it isn't one of your enemies controlling them, then what they want is to steal your Heart."

"My heart?" Kim asked nervously, unconsciously putting a hand over her left breast.

"Not the muscle in your chest heart," Kairi shook her head, "Your spiritual Heart, the part of your being that makes you alive and lets you feel emotions. But I'm fairly sure they are working for someone else."

"Why is that?" the redhead prompted, not looking relieved by the explanation.

"Because they weren't acting normal," Selphie said, "focusing on you like that. Usually they go after the weakest fighters first, to build up their numbers. But they went after you instead of..."

"Hold it right there," Kim cut her off harshly, "Ron might have his quirks, and he might have some unusual phobias, but despite that he's gone on almost every mission with me, and a few of his own. He might get scared off briefly, but he always comes back and never gives up. He's got more… more 'Heart' than anyone else I know."

"I was going to say the rest of the town," Selphie said softly, "I mean, Ron might not have hit many of them, but everyone he did hit went down in one shot."

"So they normally go after weaker people first," Kim blushed slightly.

"They hunt like pack animals," Kairi added, "Unless you are using a Keyblade. That tends to get their attention, too."

Kim shook her head.

"So we need to find out which of my enemies is using these Heartless things," Kim pondered. Kairi frowned uncertainly, but did not let their host see her expression.

"So where did you guys get those weapons?" the older teen changed the subject suddenly, "They're spankin'."

* * *

After a few hours discussing fighting styles, and local slang, Kim was overtaken by her yawns, and the three girls turned in. Even though the travelers had been awake for less than seven hours, the events of the last two and a half days had taken their toll, and Selphie drifted off soon after. This left Kairi alone with her worries. And just as she finally started to doze off, a loud, lyrical beeping filled the room. Kim hopped out of bed instantly, but her initial surprise spent, she staggered groggily over to her desk and picked up the Kimmunicator.

"What's a sitch, Wade?" she mumbled slightly.

"Kim, I've got Ron's dad on the line," the young tech genius said, "It sounds like their house was attacked. I'll patch him in."

"Kimberly," the face of Ron's father appeared on the screen, "I'm sorry to call so late, but..."

"No big," Kim tried to play it cool, "What's going on?"

"That green woman you're always fighting..." Mr. Stoppable trailed off, trying to remember.

"Shego?" Kim suggested, growing angry.

"That's her," the actuary agreed, "She broke in about twenty minutes ago, with a bunch of strange little blonde monkeys with slingshots."

"Bouncywilds," Kairi noted.

"Ronald tried to fight them off, but that Shego woman knocked him out," he explained, "They took him, and left."

"What about you guys?" Kim asked, "Mrs. Stoppable, Han, and Rufus."

"Hana slept through the whole thing," he said thankfully, "We're fine, but I think Rufus is with Ron."

"We'll get him back," Kim told him firmly, and he smiled gratefully at her. He disconnected, and the face of a dark skinned young man appeared on the screen.

"Did you get all that, Wade?" Kim asked, all business.

"Yup," the genius answered simply, "I'm pulling up Ron's tracking signal now."

"Even though Drakken's in prison," Kim started, "I think Shego is still staying at his timeshare lair."

"That fits with the signal," Wade agreed, "It's passing through Upperton now."

"Can you get us a ride?" the hero asked.

"Already on it," he grinned, "I put in a call to Fast Eddie."

"Good thinking," she smiled, "But tell him not to honk the horn, my mom and the tweebs are sleeping."

"I'll let him know," Wade stated before disconnecting.

The girls quickly dressed and hurried outside. Kairi and Selphie had put back on the same clothes they had worn earlier, but Kim had garbed herself in a purple t-shirt and dark, olive cargo pants. Even as Kim was pulling the front door shut, a black and yellow cab skidded to a halt on the curb.

"I hears yous need a lift to just north of Upperton," the balding cabbie called out softly, "Pile in and buckle up."

The three young women slid neatly into the back seat, and the two outsiders followed Kim's example with the safety belts. As the last buckle clicked, the cab took off, moving much faster than the posted speed limit.

"Thanks for the ride Eddie," Kim said, unconcerned by the speed of the car, while Kairi and Selphie held on for dear life.

"It's the least I could do, seein' as how you helped me beat that larceny rap," he told her, the front passenger side tire leaving the pavement as he took a sharp turn onto the on ramp. He continued to accelerate, and by the time they had reached the freeway proper, their velocity was approaching the triple digits.

"No big," Kim said dismissively, "I had to get my mom's purse back, and I wasn't about to let them arrest an innocent man."

"Well yous three just sit back and relax," the jovial driver stated, "And I'll have yous dere in two shakes."

After riding in silence for a few minutes, Selphie unclenched her jaw enough to speak.

"This is going to be a trap, right?" the nunchaku wielder asked. Kim nodded, but Kairi shook her head.

"I think we might have had it backwards," the princess told her allies, "The Heartless were attacking Kim too hard, like they didn't care if she got hurt or killed. But they were leaving Ron alone, almost like they didn't want to damage him. Would any of your enemies do that?"

"Probably not," the cheerleader pondered the suggestion.

"I was thinking about what Kim said, about Ron's Heart," Kairi continued, "And I think the Heartless might have been after him the whole time. They wanted Kim out of the way so she wouldn't stop them from taking Ron."

Both of the other girls looked worried at the suggestion.

* * *

Fast Eddie whistled nervously as the cab skidded to a halt. The space outside the timeshare lair was filled with Powerwilds, Bounceywilds, and also a large, spherical, humanoid type of Heartless.

"Eddie, you had better head back," Kim told him.

"Ain't you gonna need a ride home?" he asked loyally.

"If we do, we'll give you a call," she answered evenly, "Until then, you should probably get out of Dodge."

The driver nodded, and as soon as the door closed, the vehicle shot away.

The Heartless were watching the three girls, but were not moving.

"The big ones are called Round Bodies," Kairi told Kim and reminded Selphie, "They're immune to physical attacks from the front, so aim for the head or try to get behind them."

"We don't have time to fight all of them," a touch of despair leaked into Kim's voice.

"I know," Kairi said, "That's why I'm going to cut a path. You two stay close, and be ready to deal with stragglers. And just to warn you, once this is done, I probably won't be able to use magic for ten to fifteen minutes."

"Magic?" Kim asked, but Kairi was already moving.

"Blizzard!" she intoned, and then charged into the opening created by the cone of frost and ice.

"Blizzard!" the Keyblade wielder pointed Innocent Snowfall forward, and blasted another gap. Kim kicked aside a Powerwild that lunged for Kairi's back.

"Blizzard! Blizzard! Blizzard! Blizzard! Blizzard!" Kairi's spells cut a path through the horde, leaving her breathless and drained. But in the end, there was still one Heartless in their way, a single Round Body leaning its back against the door. Selphie and Kim jumped over Kairi's head in unison and sandwiched the monster's head between one nunchaku arm and a reinforced cross-trainer, size 7. The creature wobbled forward and then broke apart. Kim continued forward, snapping off the handle on the door and then rolling through it. Selphie followed her through, dragging the still slightly panting Kairi with her. After they were in, Kim slammed shut the door and knocked a bookcase down in front of the entrance. Selphie helped her slide a desk into the makeshift barricade, but it did not appear the Heartless were trying to follow them in.

Kairi's eyes narrowed as she looked across the cavern like room. Like Gosalyn before him, Ron was strapped to a table, unconscious, with a Heart extraction device attached to his chest. Standing next to him was a white-cloaked figure, her height and build suggesting she was the same woman they encountered in St Canard. Beside her was a woman with long, wavy, black hair and green tinted skin, wearing a green and black jumpsuit. Finally, Rufus was padlocked in a reinforced hamster cage, sitting on a dusty computer console with a number of tools and small instruments.

"You," the hidden woman snapped at Kairi, her voice and recognition confirming her identity. Then she turned back to the emerald hued rogue.

"Shego," she addressed her accomplice evenly, "I believe it is time to conclude our contract. I will give you power, so you can kill both your enemy and my pursuers."

"No," Shego told her flatly, with an undercurrent of annoyance.

"What?" the woman in white sputtered in shock.

"I don't let Drakken play around with my powers," the thief said, "And I trust him not to screw me over intentionally. There is no way I'm letting some Jenny-come-lately do who knows what to my DNA, or my soul, or whatever."

"But… our deal?" the Heart collector began humming under its owner's confused protest.

"You promised me what I want most in this world," Shego reminded her now former ally, lighting up her hands for emphasis as she explained, "And I already have power. What I want is money."

"Money?"

"Moolah, greenbacks, dead presidents," Drakken's lieutenant elaborated, "cold, hard cash. And before you ask why, I'm not going to go through the villain sob spiel about how as a full time hero and part time teacher I couldn't make ends meet, while the criminals could always afford new hover jets and death rays, and how that was the straw the broke the camel's back..."

After trailing off, Shego stared into the other woman's hood, failing to find her concealed eyes.

"I take it this means you can't pay me?" the green skinned villain prompted.

"I don't have any local currency or other valuables," the woman in white answered openly, then her voice hardened slightly, "Where does that leave us?"

"Nowhere," Shego shrugged, "Normally I'd probably turn on you and release the sidekick out of spite. But it seems like you're going to something pretty nasty to Stoppable here, so I win whether you succeed or whether Kimmy and the pep squad take you down. So we'll call it even for today."

She sauntered to the back of the lab, and exited into the smaller living area, sealing the door behind her. The teens could feel the woman's hidden scowl, even if they could not see it, and she turned back to observe them.

"Fine," the thief said neutrally, "I was hoping to save him, in case the Organization found me. But I guess here will have to do. Four-Shooter, defend your master."

A pool of darkness formed between the girls and the woman, and a new Heartless emerged. It was just a shade under seven feet tall, and skinny. It had slitted yellow eyes, and no mouth. It was dressed like a cowboy, wearing a flat topped hat with a broad, level brim, a dusty canvas cloak covering most of its body, and spurred boots sticking past the bottom of the shroud. It swept the covering back, revealing the source of its name; the Heartless had four arms, each of which drew a different pistol from the holsters on its belt. It wore brown canvas pants, but its chest was uncovered, showing the Heartless Emblem over most of its torso.

Four-Shooter pointed his top two guns at Kairi, and fired. The pistol in his upper right hand spat out a fast moving blob of fire, while the upper left gun disgorged a small barb of lightning. He split his lower weapons between the other two girls, shooting a sphere of ice at Selphie with the right gun and an oblong of darkness at Kim with the left. All three girls dodged, though Kairi was forced to deflect the electricity with Innocent Snowfall while she avoided the fire attack.

"What kind of Heartless is that?" Kim asked, flipping closer to avoid the second lightning bullet, trying to get within range. She kicked at the gunfighter, but the monster floated backward out of her reach again.

"The unique kind," Kairi said quickly, trying to force her mana to return.

"What does that mean?" Kim complained at the vague response.

"It means she's never seen anything like it before, and it's probably tough," Selphie countered. She twirled her bludgeon to deflect a fire projectile, and then reversed the weapon to strike Four Shooter. The Heartless blocked with both of its right arms, and shuddered slightly before levitating away. Four-Shooter aimed his lightning and gravity guns at Kim, this time shooting three bullets from each at the cheerleader. Kim tucked, rolled, and hopped, avoiding all the attacks, but ending up on the far side of the room.

A spark of power responded to Kairi's internal call, and she aimed the Keyblade at the unusual Heartless, shouting, "Thunder!"

The creature froze as the electricity engulfed him, but the gun in his upper left hand started to glow brightly. He pointed the pistol at them, and a broad cone of lightning emerged, hitting all three of the young women.

"No more magic," Selphie croaked painfully, as Kairi moved closer to cover all three of them with a single Cure. After they were all on their feet again, the Keyblade wielder took the Masked Crusader Keychain from her hip pouch, and replaced Innocent Snowfall.

"We'll need to fight up close," Kairi agreed. She ran forward, knocking aside another ice bullet. She lashed out with the heavier Keyblade, but Four-Shooter floated back out of range before the Kairi connected. But this move brought him into range of Kim, who punched the ice pistol out of her way; placed her foot on his chest; and then kicked off, bringing her other heel up into the Heartless's chin. The gunner recovered while she was still in the air. He brought his upper right arm up, and launched a fireball straight into Kim's spine.

"Kim," Selphie cried out as the cheerleader tumbled awkwardly away. She slammed the head of the Dragon Chucks into Four-Shooter's knee. The Heartless flinched, but spun around to shoot both fire and ice at the youngest warrior.

"Are you okay?" Kairi asked, readying Cure regardless of her answer.

"No big," Kim offered with a pained grin, "My work cloths are fireproof and moderately reinforced. And I can take a hit."

The Princess of Heart checked, and as Kim said, the purple T-shirt was undamaged but for a mild scorch mark.

"Cure," Kairi intoned anyway, and the redhead's breathing steadied.

"Come on," Kim insisted, hopping back to her feet. The two young women closed in on Four-Shooter, surrounding him so he could not float out of the way. The Heartless began to fire rapidly and wildly, trying to create an opening.

"I'm really getting tired of being shot at," Selphie hissed. Kairi nodded, deflecting a lightning bullet, but taking a light hit from a gravity shot.

"Then let's do something about it," Kim suggested, kicking Four-Shooter's ice gun towards Selphie. The nunchaku user caught the Heartless's wrist in the chain of her weapon, and dug in to hold him in place. Finally, Kairi darted in, and smashed the pistol with the back of her Keyblade. Though the supernatural gun was not damaged, it was dislodged from the monster's hand, and Kim booted it to the far side of the room.

Four-Shooter pointed all three of his remaining guns at Selphie. Kim and Kairi both hit one of the creature's arms, partially spoiling his aim. But the youngest girl was still forced to release the Heartless and dive to the side to avoid taking a lightning bolt to the face. When she unwrapped the chain, the Heartless's wrist was crushed and contorted, proving their attacks were making an impact.

With the cold pistol disarmed, Kairi took a chance and hit the gunner with a blast of mystical cold. As she hoped, none of his other guns powered up, and parts of his frozen cloak broke off and disappeared. Afterwards she moved closer, quickly striking his injured wrist and neck. In retaliation, he pointed his three remaining weapons in at her stomach, and as he started firing, he spread the guns outward, so she could not fully dodge.

Kairi covered her torso as best she could with Masked Crusader, thankful for that Keyblade's wider tines and hand guard. She threw herself back and down, but was still hit by one fire and two gravity bullets.

"Dragon Cyclone!" Selphie shouted angrily, first hitting Four-Shooter's blocking left arms, but then spinning again, and driving both the head and sharpened tail of the dragon into the Heartless's stomach. Impaled on the weapon, the monster started to point its guns at Selphie, and was unable to dodge as Kim flew over the younger girl's head, kicking the Heartless dead center in the face. His head snapped back audibly, and his hat flew away.

The Heartless disintegrated, his guns melting as they hit the floor. As the last of his cape shattered, a single sheet of paper fluttered free, and Selphie snatched it with an expectant look. But as they all turned back to Ron and the mysterious villain, Kairi could tell it was already too late.

"He bought me enough time, so I suppose Braig wasn't totally useless," the thief's white duster fluttered slightly as she removed the Heart Collector from Ron's chest. The heart floating inside possessed a nearly full, tan, core, with darker lines meandering through it. The Princess of Heart thought looked like a section of a tree trunk. The villain gestured, and a dark portal opened.

"Not this time," Kairi cried out, scrambling to her feet and switching back to Innocent Snowfall. The woman paused in surprise as the Keyblade wielder barreled towards her. Kairi slashed hard, and the woman smoothly slid out of the way, keeping her body between the Keyblade and the containment cylinder. Kim rushed over to Ron, and Selphie froze between them, and then started towards Kairi and the thief. The princess swung twice more, but failed to connect.

"You need more…" the woman started to taunt, but Kairi released the Keyblade with her left hand, and thrust it forwards over the top of the weapon.

"Fire!" she incanted, and the magical attack struck the woman's side. While the thief was stunned, Kairi reversed her Keyblade, and the weapon darted towards the woman's head, tines first. The white hood started to jerk away, but she was delayed enough for one of the snowflake protrusions to catch the edge of the covering, tearing the hood off. The woman danced away, glaring visibly at the young woman.

Her face was thin and slightly angular, but still very attractive. Her sharp blue eyes watched the Keyblade wielder with vehemence. Her blonde hair was cut above her shoulders, and was tight against her head, except for two thick fly-aways, one of on either side of her face, starting at her forehead and floating further out as they traveled back, until they were almost three inches away from the ends of the rest of her hair, almost like a pair of backwards facing antennae.

"Eclair!" she growled, dropping lightning in between them to keep the young woman at bay.

"I won't forget this, Princess of Radiant Garden," the blonde told Kairi darkly, "Especially if the Organization has noticed me."

She stepped into the portal, which closed behind her. Kairi skidded to a stop where the rip in space had been. The point of Innocent Snowfall dropped to the floor, and trailed as Kairi turned to face Kim. Selphie smashed the lock on the hamster cage, freeing the naked mole rat.

"Kim, I'm so sorry," Kairi said despondently, and Kim lifted her head. For a second anger flashed in her green eyes, but she sighed and it was replaced by resignation.

"You shouldn't be," the eldest teen admitted, taking Rufus from the nunchaku user, "If you two hadn't been here, I probably would have been killed yesterday or today, and she would still have Ron's Heart. Who was she anyway?"

"We don't know," Selphie shrugged.

"We ran into her once, a few days ago," Kairi answered, "She targeted a specific young girl and stole her Heart, too. We didn't know she was here. We didn't have any reason to suspect…"

"So what do we do?" the redhead interrupted, "I mean, what's going to happen to Ron?"

"He will be fine, so long as his Heart is in that jar and doesn't become a Heartless," Kairi offered, "His body is in a kind of stasis, waiting for his Heart."

"And the other part? What do we do now? Are you going after her?"

"If we can find a new route, and if it leads to where ever that blonde went," Selphie affirmed, "Otherwise, we're gonna keep searching until we find the path that leads to her."

"Find a new path? What does that mean?" Kim asked, frowning.

"Well, when Kairi finds something that reacts with the Keyblade, it unlocks the way to another world," Selphie told her.

"Like what?" Kim said hopefully, "Maybe Wade can track it down."

She took out her Kimmunicator, but Kairi shook her head.

"It's not that simple…" the princess trailed off as the videophone and Keyblade both started to glow. Kim released the pocket computer with a confused look, and it floated upwards instead of falling.

"Or maybe it is," Selphie smiled slightly as the light from the Keyblade passed through the Kimmunicator and illuminated a Keyhole on the domed ceiling. After the opening ended with its usual click, Kim caught her phone as it fell. Kairi closed the gap, and caught up Kim's hand.

"Kim, I will find her, and I will get back Ron's Heart," she said desperately, "I promise you, no matter what."

"_We_ will," Selphie added firmly, placing her hand atop Kairi's. Kim smiled sadly, and pulled them both into a big hug.

"I believe you," she told them, "I'll leave Ron's Heart to you."

"Heya," Rufus squeaked, scampering from Kim, over to Ron. The small rodent pulled something out of Ron's pocket, and ran back, extending the bauble to Kairi. It was a keychain with a metal tableau shaped like a sauce packet, and emblazoned with the word 'Diablo'. Kairi took it, looking from the rodent to the redhead.

"Rufus noticed you switching the thing on the back of your Keyblade," Kim interpreted for the intelligent rodent, "So he wants you to have this."

"What is it?" Kairi asked, preparing to attach the device to her weapon.

"It's a limited edition double Diablo keychain," Kim answered, "Bueno Nacho gave them away last year to anyone who could eat a taco with two full packets of Diablo Sauce."

"Can I really take this?" the princess stopped short, knowing that if she connected it the commemorative would permanently change.

"Go ahead," Kim grinned wistfully, "He has nine; he took the challenge any time our missions took us near a Bueno Nacho. Besides, it will remind you of us."

"Alright," the Keyblade user switched Innocent Snowfall out, and the Keyblade changed again. It grew shorter, though still longer than Masked Crusader. The haft turned red, and the tines became an amalgam of drops of hot sauce and stylized flames. The guard was a simple oval, except for two small horns at the front, one on either side of the haft.

"Diablo Llave," Kairi stated, "A Keyblade that holds the power of fire."

A roaring hum shook the outside wall of the timeshare.

"Our ride's here," Selphie said regretfully.

"Great," Kim smirked slightly, "The sooner you leave, the sooner I get my boyfriend back. Good luck you guys."

The younger teens cleared the doorway carefully, but the Heartless in the parking lot had all left with their mistress. Kairi and Selphie ran over to the Gummi Ship, with Kim and Rufus watching them sadly from the door of the lair.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Mysterious Journal, Page 91**_

_I can't rest on my laurels. Sure, it felt great to have Master Ansem say my name, and I loved the expressions on the jerks' faces. But a scientist is only as good as her next idea, and now that I have my own lab, I need something that will really wow Master Ansem. _

_And I think I have it. Master Ansem is continuing his research on the Princesses of Heart, even though the rodent king stole away the local test subject. And all of the sycophants are helping him, fighting amongst themselves over bad ideas and scraps of data. But I opted out; Master Ansem doesn't need us slowing him down. Besides, I don't need to see those pigs drooling over some milksop maidens in their ivory towers. Ugh!_

_No, I have found a new avenue of inquiry, which compliments Master Ansem's work without overlapping it. While they research the seven princesses, I will be investigating the eleven Adamant Hearts…_

* * *

"Hmm," Gadget frowned at the computer screen, scurrying back to hit some buttons, and then mumbling at the response from the machine. Both of the Humans looked at the mouse curiously.

The travelers were all on the vessel's bridge, having been ambushed by a squad of dragonfly-shaped Heartless Gummi Ships not long after dinner. The threat eliminated, Selphie had read the new diary page out loud again while the engineer began working with the computer.

"What is it, Gadget?" Kairi moved over to talk to the mouse girl.

"Nothing, really," the tiny blonde answered, tugging on her tail, "It's just taking a really long time to reach the other end of this path."

"What do you mean?" Selphie asked, storing the paper, "It hasn't been that much longer than it took for us to reach Middleton from St Canard, right?"

"Yeah, but that was pretty long too," the mouse agreed and disagreed in the same breath, "Normally the journey between two worlds takes four to eight hours. Like from Destiny Islands to St Canard, that was six hours, twenty-one minutes. But its like we are bypassing close worlds to go to specific farther ones. For example, between St Canard and Middleton long-range scanners detected Udrogoth. If the path had connected to there, it would have only taken twelve hours or so, instead of the twenty it took to reach Kim's world. And about nine hours ago, we passed by Danville, which has moved quite a bit since the last star chart was made. But either way, it still would have been a lot closer to Middleton."

"Well, Kairi is opening these paths, right?" Selphie looked at her friend, "So maybe this is a more direct path to Riku and Sora."

"That could be," Gadget pondered, but before she could consider it too much, the sensors went off, and the ship automatically decelerated.

"I guess we made it," the mouse told them, "Twenty five hour and thirty four minutes… It looks like this world is called Dunwyn Forest."


	7. Chapter 7

"This place is different," Selphie noted as they walked over the drawbridge into the castle courtyard. A vast number of people traveled in and out of the fortress, all talking excitedly.

"Not all worlds develop the same," Kairi answered, "Many of the places Sora went did not have the technology of the worlds we have visited. Some worlds use magic instead, and others simply lack both technology and advanced magic."

"But don't we sort of stand out?" Selphie felt nervous, as the eyes in the sea simple, handmade cloths in pale, muted blues, browns, and greens stared at their brightly colored clothing and short skirts.

"Like a wise man once said, if you don't fit in, just walk around like you own the place," the Keyblade Mistress advised, "Everyone will think you are either important, or crazy, and either way they will leave you alone."

Selphie nodded, trying not to look nervous. She was happy that the depression that had gripped Kairi before they left Middleton seemed to have abated.

"Do you feel anything?' the younger woman prompted. Gadget had not detected any Heartless when they arrived, but the mouse girl had admitted the sensors were not perfect, and that the world's strong magical field could be interfering. Needing to find their friends, or a link to the next world, the two Humans set out to explore the castle.

Reaching the end of the drawbridge, music finally made itself heard over the dim of the crowd. The normally empty courtyard had been filled with rows of stalls.

"It looks like some kind of festival," Selphie noted, pausing to look around, "I wonder what it's for?"

"It's for the twentieth anniversary of King Gregor's coronation," an annoyed voice said behind them, "Ain't you heard?"

The child, no more than eight, pushed her way past the two teens.

"Sorry, we're not from around here," Kairi offered.

"Obviously," the girl snorted, vanishing into the throng.

"Well let's take a look around," the princess suggested. They stuck close together, going with the flow of the crowd, glancing at the various booths, until Kairi noticed something of interest. One of the merchant stands appeared to be being shunned by the locals. Behind the counter floated a small, white creature. It looked like a teddy bear, except for the small black bat wings keeping it afloat, and the largish red sphere above its head. The commoners would take one look at the unusual vendor and shy away.

"You're a Moogle, right?" Kairi asked approaching the booth.

"Yup," the creature answered easily, "And you're not from this world, kupo."

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Aside from your clothes?" he noted, "The fact that you didn't think I was a Gummi Bear was a dead giveaway."

"_Gummi_ Bear?" Selphie asked, exchanging a glance with her friend.

"Yeah, some sort of mythical sentient around these parts," the Moogle explained, "People here take one look at me, assume I'm one of these bears, and kupo away. It's a killer for business."

"Can we take a look?" Kairi asked.

"If you have cash," the merchant said warily, "I take both the local silver coins, and Munny, but not currency from other worlds."

"We have Munny," Selphie said tartly.

"Then welcome to my shop!" the Moogle grinned as broadly as his small mouth allowed. Kairi first gave the entire table a quick glance over, and then selected a half-dozen potions to replenish their dwindling supply. After considering the times she had run out of mana, she next purchased three Ethers as well. Selphie, on the other hand, immediately began looking at the protective bracelets. After some thought, and a comparison of the prices against the girls' available funds, she bought a talisman that provided strong protection against lightning and darkness, and a second wrist chain that afforded her roughly the same physical defense as heavy armor. As her friend buckled the bracelets around her wrists, Kairi bought a second bracelet as well, similar to the one she received from the White Mushroom.

"Thank you for your business," the Moogle offered as his only customers started to leave.

"Now we're ready for anything that woman or her Heartless minions can throw at us," Selphie boasted loudly as they stepped away from the booth. While most of the people looked at her, and then quickly turned away, an elderly man approached them. He was tall and slender, with a bushy white mustache and hair to match. His blue doublet extended past his belt, covering up the top of his aquamarine breeches. His outfit was completed by the blue tricorner hat with a large purple feather sticking out, and his deep red cape.

"Excuse me, but did you say Heartless?" he asked Selphie directly.

"You wouldn't be talking about the legendary monsters, would you?" he continued when Selphie nodded suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked cautiously.

"Surely, you must know the story," he explained, "How, many hundreds of years ago, the Great Gummis of yore fought an incredible battle against the evil Heartless, tiny monsters like living spots of ink. At first all looked lost, but with the help of three magic keys, the Gummis were able to banish the Heartless."

"Sir Gawain," a young man, about their age, slid through the crowd, and latched lightly on to the older man. He had a naturally round face, which belied his lanky build. His brown hair was about shoulder length and had the messy flow of someone who did nothing special with his locks. He wore a light blue tunic with a brown undershirt and leggings. He addressed the travelers, and said, "I'm sorry if my grandfather is bothering you."

"It is no bother," Selphie smiled openly

"We have not heard that story," the Princess told him honestly, then lied, "But that was not what my friend meant. She was simply talking about the methods of the tax collectors back home. They can be quite heartless."

"How unfortunate," Gawain shook his head.

"Come on, Gawain," the young man tugged gently on his elder's arm, "We are going to be late to meet our _friends_."

"Oh, yes, Cavin, quite right," the old knight suddenly perked up, "A pleasure talking to you ladies, but we must be going."

The girls waved, but as soon as Cavin and Gawain had vanished into the crowd, Selphie whirled on Kairi with a furiously intent look.

"Did you hear that?" she hissed under her voice, "First we have Gummi Bears like our Gummi ship, now there are legends about Gummi Bears fighting Heartless. And you know those magic keys had to be Keyblades. That's gotta mean something, right?"

"Maybe," Kairi said thoughtfully, "I know Sora wasn't the first Keyblade user... Maybe we should see if there is a library, or someplace similar around here."

The idea was more easily stated than executed. Unlike the Moogle and Sir Gawain, no one else was particularly willing to talk to the oddly dressed strangers. And without any local currency, they could not chat with any of the merchants while shopping. After wandering around for half of an hour, the partners wound up in a large open area in front of a stage, none the wiser about Gummi Bears or any past battle against the Heartless. They paused, watching the two jugglers on the platform.

"What do you think?" Selphie finally asked.

"I think we might have better luck if we acquired some local attire and came back after the festival was over," the older teen answered with a slight frown.

"Should we head back for now?" the nunchaku wielder asked, and the princess nodded. But as they started to leave, Kairi was forced to leap back as a large cart drawn by two large stallions careened towards the stage. It was emblazoned with the words 'Mister E's of the Arient', and skidded to a halt next to the dais.

In her haste to get out of the path of the wagon, Kairi had collided with the people behind her, and both she and Selphie turned to help them up. One of the people she bumped was a girl of their age and Selphie's height, with kind blue eyes, and braided blond hair down to the middle of her back. Her cyan dress was of a simple style with golden accents at the neckline, sleeves, and waist, but Kairi could tell the fabric was of a finer weave than what most of the people were wearing. The second person was much smaller, probably a young child, and had been knocked down by the Keyblade user's dodge. The small figure wore a hooded brown cape, obscuring his or her features.

"I'm sorry," Kairi offered her hand to the fallen individual, who took it. But the blond girl took a sharp breath at her companion's action.

"Some people shouldn't be allowed to drive," Selphie told the two they had disturbed, noticing that Kairi was slow to release the smaller figure's hand, even though he or she was standing again. Then the younger teen recognized why, the small person's hand had only three fingers and was covered with short, yellow fur. The blonde girl started to reach for Kairi's hand defensively, but the three of them broke apart at the sound of shattering wood, followed closely by terrified screams.

"Ogres," someone shouted, and all four young women turned to look.

The cart that had nearly struck Kairi had exploded from within, disgorging ten large humanoids. They had smashed in faces, and were various shades of green, purple, orange, and teal. They all were covered by shabby fur pelts, and carried large clubs rough-hewn from tree trunks. They stepped ponderously off the cart and into the rapidly dispersing throng.

The driver of the wagon now stood on the seat, to better observe the crowd and his minions. He swept off the dull green cloak that had hidden his face and gained him admission. He was wearing a chainmail vest over a cyan shirt and leggings, and the shirt had an attached cap concealing his hair. He might have been handsome, if not for his overly large and pointed nose, and he was possessed of a jet-black handlebar mustache and goatee.

"You know what to do," he ordered in a high-pitched growl, "Find the princess, the squire, and the three youngest Gummis."

"Okee-dokee, Dukey," the Ogres grunted in unison, starting to grab people at random.

"Is he after you?" Selphie whispered to her friend, but Kairi shook her head, watching the reactions of their two accidental acquaintances. Then, she noticed the villain sweeping his hand around, holding an inappropriately high-tech device. The Keyblade user pointed to it, and both Selphie and the blonde girl looked.

"That looks like the thing Launchpad described," the nunchaku wielder stated. Kairi nodded.

"I also saw one of those on the console by the cage Rufus was locked in," the princess of Heart noted. The third Human watched them and listened to them, until her smaller friend grabbed her arm and tried to haul her backwards.

"They're after us, Calla," the small biped said in a distinctly female voice, "We gotta get out of here."

"I can't, Sunni," Calla shook her head, "They're after Cavin, Tummi, and Cubbi, too. Besides, I can't let the Ogres hurt people while they're looking for me."

"All right, then you'll need this," Sunni held out a small glass bottle, filled with a red-purple liquid. Calla took it thankfully, and then cast about for a weapon, ultimately picking up a flagpole that had broken off the cart when the Ogres smashed their way free.

"Shall we?" Selphie asked Kairi, slipping the Dragon Chucks out of her bag. In answer, the other traveler summoned her Keyblade. Though she had left Diablo Llave attached when they left Middleton, she switched back to Masked Crusader.

"Me find princess," one of the Ogres locked its beady eyes on Calla, and charged forward. The local fumbled with the cork in the bottle, but Selphie darted past her, and swung her bludgeon at the brute's knees. Already clumsy, the simple attack was enough to make the thug fall forward, where Kairi was waiting. She swung her Key upwards to meet the tumbling Ogre. The shaft of Masked Crusader struck its forehead with a loud, dull thump. After it hit the dirt, the Ogre groaned and did not stand.

The first giant's outburst caught the attention of three of its comrades, who charged the three girls.

"If I had my sword I wouldn't need this," Calla said as much to herself as to her newfound allies, and quaffed the juice Sunni had given her. Then she stepped forward, and caught the leading Ogre's club on her improvised weapon. The invader seemed to recognize what was happening, and grunted in worry as Calla reached in and lifted him by his belt. The princess of Dunwyn tossed the Ogre back onto the cart, a good sixty feet away.

"She's strong," Selphie noted, wrapping up her opponent's tree limb, then placing one foot on his chest as a support to swing her heel into his ear. The Ogre yelped in pain, but did not fall. He swung his club wildly to dislodge her, and Selphie was forced to unwrap her nunchaku or risk getting pulled off her feet by the orange humanoid's strength. Two more of the ten attackers moved in, while the other four had dispersed on the other side of the field.

"For now," Calla responded to Selphie's comment, bashing a second Ogre upside the head, dropping him. The other three moved more carefully, they might not have been the brightest creatures, but they were warriors, and they recognized that three little girls had already taken down three of their fellows. Selphie hit opponent with a series of quick jabs to the stomach that stole the brute's breath. Then she wrapped her nunchaku around his neck, and used the strength in all four of her limbs to drive her knees into the Ogre's eyes. The tiny orbs crossed, and the giant collapsed. The remaining two Ogres went from hesitantly approaching to hesitantly backing away.

"Dukey, me have Gummis," a purple Ogre in a steel skullcap shouted from the opposite side of the courtyard, brandishing two burlap sacks. The more full bag was mostly still, while the smaller package bounced around, struggling to escape. At roughly the same time, the thundering of hooves could be heard.

"Knights coming," the small, green Ogre next to the blue clad 'Dukey' stated, "Toady thinks we should get while getting is good."

"You might be right," the villain stroked his mustache nervously, "If those two aren't the right ones, at least we've eliminated them as targets, and we can use them for our own purposes. Time to go!"

The Ogres, or at least the conscious ones, scrambled back onto the cart, and the villain turned it around and whipped the horses, driving them back towards the drawbridge. Calla tried to follow them, and Kairi and Selphie trailed after her, but the horses were to fast for the humans, even hauling the weight of the Ogres who had made it back on the cart in time. As the girls made it onto the now empty bridge, the villain disappeared into the forest.

"Calla," a familiar voice called out, and the young man they had encountered earlier jogged onto the bridge.

"The Ogres caught Cubbi and Tummi," he panted.

"I know," the blonde nodded, then she looked at Kairi and Selphie suspiciously, added, "And these two know something."

"Hey, we helped you back there," Selphie protested.

"Yes, you did," Calla admitted slightly more openly, "And I am grateful. But that does not change the fact that you recognized that strange machine Igthorn was holding."

"We need to go tell the others," Sunni said insistently as she joined them, still hiding her face.

"What about them?" Cavin asked suspiciously. Sunni's hidden eyes seemed to fall on the Keyblade.

"Bring them with us, but blindfold them first," Sunni decided. Selphie tensed, but Kairi placed a calming hand on her friend's elbow.

"That is fine," the Princess of Heart said calmly.

* * *

The feeling of moving at high speeds while unable to see was uncomfortable, but after only a few minutes, the travelers were guided out of the vehicle into another structure. They were led into what sounded like a large room, and seated in chairs. All around them, both familiar and new voices began to talk in hushed tones. After a few minutes, one of the voices rose, to the point where Kairi expected the speaker wanted them to hear him as well.

"Why did you bring them here?" a low, angry voice growled.

"They seemed to recognize what Igthorn was doing," Calla answered softly.

"And she has a Keyblade," Sunni said pointed.

"Oh, that's just an ancient legend," an older female voice dismissed the claim gently.

"No, it is in the Great Book," a slightly befuddled voice countered dubiously. Kairi felt a presence draw closer; inspecting the weapon, she had not felt comfortable sending away.

"Trum-uth shum-ape," the befuddled voice said with more certainty, and a new power wrapped around the Keyblade.

"I suspected they weren't from this world as soon as I saw their clothing, but that confirms it," the spellcaster stated, "This is indeed a Keyblade."

"Then you must know we are here to help you," Selphie protested.

"Either you don't know our history, or you think our memories are very short," the knowledgeable voice chided her lightly. The girls heard the click, followed by the rustling of pages turning.

"In the year… yes, well, you probably don't know our calendar, so I'll say seven hundred eighty two years ago," he told them, "our world was attacked by monsters we came to know as the Heartless. Stolen Hearts, bound up in the Darkness, they attacked without warning or mercy, increasing their numbers by claiming the Hearts of both Gummis and Humans. We fought back with all our might, but their power was too great. Just when we were about to give up hope, three outsiders appeared, bearing strange weapons in the shapes of keys. In their company, our swords and spells miraculously became more effective. But more than that, their leader's kind strength bolstered our resolve. We drove the Heartless back, until the Keyblade Masters found a Keyhole to the Heart of our world, and locked it. With that action, the Heartless lost interest in our world. Most left on their own, and the few that remained were quickly defeated."

"And the rest?" Kairi prompted carefully, when the speaker paused for breath, "The reason you have to doubt us?"

"After the Heartless were gone, the male Human Keyblade user tried to steal our Great Book and one of our medallions," he answered sharply, "When he was caught, their leader and the female Human begged our forgiveness. They claimed he had acted foolishly and rashly out of a desire to help the other worlds under attack by the Heartless. But we were torn. Many believed other two outsiders, but some suspected they were just using their ally as a shield. One group argued his theft was justified by the good it could do, while others said he acted out of simple Human greed. Unable to reach an agreement, we decided to ask all three of them to leave our world and never return."

"You said Human three times," Kairi pointed out evenly, "implying you are not. Are you the Great Gummis, then?"

"Oh, no, honey," the mature female laughed at the idea, "The Great Gummis left over three hundred years ago. We're the descendants of the ones who stayed behind."

"Don't tell them that," the harsh voice complained.

"Oh, hush, Gruffi Gummi," the woman snapped back, "These girls aren't stupid, and I don't think they mean us any harm."

"Are you sure about that, Grammi?" the storyteller asked thoughtfully.

"Well I haven't had a chance to look them in the eyes yet," she noted with a slight doubt, "But the Keyblade user is polite enough, and the other one is pretty straightforward."

"What are they doing here, anyway?" a new voice asked, sounding like a younger male in his late teens or early twenties. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

"Hey, don't look at me like that," he protested, "All of you want to know too, but you keep bouncing around the issue."

"Gusto does have a point," the still unnamed wise Gummi agreed, "We haven't seen or heard about anything like the Heartless, so why is a Keyblade here?"

"We didn't come here by choice," Selphie shrugged.

""What do you mean by that?" Gruffi growled, sounding insulted.

"Right around a year ago, all travel between worlds was closed," Kairi explained, "I can open new paths with the Keyblade, but if there is a way to control where they go, I don't know it. Our arrival here seemed to be random."

"Seemed to be?" Cavin spoke, verifying the other Humans were still present.

"But that doesn't explain _why_ we are here," Kairi continued, bypassing the enquiry for the moment, "Two of our friends left our world a year and a half ago, and we are trying to find them. But in both of the first two worlds we visited, we encountered a mysterious woman in a white coat. She is working with local scoundrels to steal certain, specific Hearts. We are now trying to find her, to recover those Hearts, as well as looking for our friends. That is what we recognized, that man Igthorn has a device that detects the Hearts this woman wants."

"Hey, have you guys heard of Adamant Hearts?" Selphie asked, remembering the diary page.

"That term isn't in the Book," the wise voice answered after a more page turning.

"So what do you intend to do?" Gruffi asked the girls sharply.

"We have not found an item that will open a new path yet so we're stuck here," the shorter girl offered, "But even if we could go, we wouldn't, right?"

"Yes," Kairi agreed, "We need to find the woman in white, and that Duke Igthorn is our best lead. Besides, we don't want to see anyone else's Heart get stolen.

"Well?" the young man's voice prompted his fellows, "If we're going to get Tummi and Cubbi back, we'll need all the muscle we can get."

There was some more, quiet muttering, and then their blindfolds were gently removed. Besides Cavin and Calla, the library was dominated by five humanoid bears.

"I'm Sunni Gummi," the yellow furred female bear in the green tunic introduced herself.

"Gruffi," the brown adult male wore a tan shirt and a green hat, and glared at his comrades.

"You can call me Grammi," the older female Gummi wore a blue dress with a matching hat and white apron, and had light orange fur and dark orange hair.

"I'm Gusto," the voice of the young man belonged to a blue furred Gummi in a brown tunic with a few paint stains. Gusto also had a red scarf tied around his neck, and a yellow hat.

"And I am Zummi Gummi," the reader announced. Her was a purple hued bear in a blue tunic and reddish cape, with a bulbous hat with stripes the color of both his other pieces of clothing. He also had a golden amulet with an indentation in the shape of a stylize Gummi head with a raised letter 'G'. Something in his voice told Kairi that despite being politer than Gruffi, he shared his friend's reservations.

"So we were planning to go to Drekmore to rescue our friends," Gusto remained direct and outspoken, "Would you two lovely ladies have any interest in joining us?"

* * *

With their eyes uncovered, their second trip with the Quick Cars was less frightening, and more enjoyable to the two travelers. They had split up before leaving Gummi Glenn. The three Human girls and the spell slinger Zummi were going to create a distraction, while Cavin and the other four bears snuck in to rescue the two captives. Kairi prayed briefly that Cubbi and Tummi were still safe and intact.

"You guys said the 'Great' Gummis left," Selphie asked Zummi spritely, as they exited the high speed transport, "does that mean they went to another world?"

"No, according to our history, they sailed across the seas," the scholar frowned at the question, "Why do you ask?"

"The type of ship we arrived in is called a Gummi Ship," Kairi told him vocally, while her eyes told Selphie to slow down, "We weren't sure if they were related."

"That would be a big coincidence," Calla agreed. The Princess of Dunwyn had traded her blue gown for a leather vest and breaches, with a white blouse under her upper body armor. She also had a longsword on her left hip and a round shield strapped to her back.

Zummi nodded, considering the original question more carefully.

"What are we going to do?" Calla asked Zummi as they left the tunnels behind for the rocky cliffs at the outskirts of Castle Drekmore.

"Kairi and Selphie are both better fighters than I am," the younger princess admitted with no small difficulty, "And they haven't used Gummi Berry Juice yet today…"

Kairi touched the small bottle looped to her belt. The concoction would give a Human incredible strength, but only for just over one minute, and then not for another whole day. Calla and Cavin had both consumed the juice back at the castle, but the Gummis provided each of their new allies with a dose as well.

"… but even with our help they won't be able to take on all the Ogres in Drekmore," the blonde girl finished.

"Well, we don't have to fight them all, right?" Selphie grinned, "We are just the distraction. We just have to go in, make a lot of noise, and retreat if things get dangerous. Besides they can't be worse than a small army of Heartless, and we've done that before."

"I don't know if Igthorn will fall for that," Zummi said thoughtfully.

"We are the wild card," Kairi said, "He doesn't know what to expect from us. If Selphie and I keep ordering you and Calla around, he might think we forced you into this. Besides, we can't wait too long, or we might not buy the others enough time."

The drawbridge was down and the portcullis up, but the travelers had been warned that this was usual; the Ogres used the swamp below for what passed as hygiene purposes, and so the drawbridge was generally only closed when Drekmore was under siege, or Igthorn was trying to trap escaped prisoners.

"Slum-eep fir-og," Zummi read off a slip of paper sending out a dense mist. When they reached the gate, the two large, lumpy guards were fast asleep, one sucking his thumb. Unfortunately, the cloud dissipated quickly, and none of the dozen or so Ogres 'training' in the yard were enchanted. In addition, their training consisted mostly of standing around lazily, and occasionally bashing each other with clubs, leaving the large warriors in prime position to see the attackers rush into the bailey.

"Gummi," one of them noted dully, but one of his squad had taken few headshots that afternoon, and was quicker on the uptake.

"Dukey, Toady!" he shouted, jumping and pointed, "Princess and old Gummi here!"

Selphie responded by jabbing the dragon's tail into the tattletale's foot, and when he bent low to grab it, smashing the opposite end of her weapon into his jaw. He went down with a stupid grin, and the nunchaku user was not sure if the missing front tooth was new or not. Calla followed her example, stabbing one the brutes in the foot with her sword, and then bashing him in the face with her shield.

"Old," Zummi frowned angrily, rummaging through his notes "I'll show them old… Ah, here it is; Bum-ack Or-itch!"

A handful of the Ogres dropped their weapons, each trying desperately to scratch its back. One grunted in annoyance, staring at Zummi, and caught up his club again. Then he swung it over his shoulder, and proceeded to rub the rough bark against his itchy skin.

Kairi moved among the distracted fighters quickly, disabling each with a blow to the head from Masked Crusader.

Eight of the thirteen Ogres went down easily, but reinforcements began to trickle into the courtyard. Calla and Zummi grimaced, worrying their new allies.

"What is it?" Kairi asked, avoiding a clumsy swing, and disarming the brute with a heavy blow to his unguarded elbow.

"They are slow to respond today," Calla slid under her opponent's arm and hamstrung him. With no enemies in immediate range, she moved to help Selphie with the two mesmerized by the movements of the Dragon Chucks.

"I know," a voice called to them from above, "It's almost like I'm expecting you."

The ruler of the castle and his miniature Ogre aide-de-camp stood on the rampart, and the Duke of Drekmore triggered another device, causing the portcullis to slam shut.

"I really love this outworld technology," the villain crowed, "It beats anything the Gummi Bears ever made."

"Like that is going to stop us," Selphie shot back, "We can lift that easily enough."

"Yes, you could drink some Gummi Berry Juice," he agreed, "Except in addition to this door closing contraption, I also hired an enchantress place a magic spell on the logs to seal it shut."

Kairi looked at him hard, and pointed the Keyblade at the door. A beam of light emerged from the weapon, and the spell unraveled with the click of a lock opening.

"Now give us back Cubbi and Tummi," she ordered.

"Gladly," Igthorn said magnanimously, "And not just those two."

Six Ogres trotted into the yard, each carrying one of the other Gummis.

"After all," he continued, "My new ally has no use for them, and it seems I don't need them anymore either."

"Sorry, they were waiting for us," Grammi said apologetically, "I guess we used that entrance one time too many."

"Where's Cavin?" Calla demanded frightfully.

"Up here little girl," the cruel female voice was familiar to the teens from Destiny Islands. The woman in white was still wearing her long coat, but had not bothered to replace or repair the damaged hood. Her blue eyes regarded them with dark pleasure. She held a bound and gagged Cavin by the rope around his wrists. Then, still focused on Kairi, she brought up the Heart Extractor, and slammed it into the squire's chest. His eyes went blank, and the woman set him gently against the stones.

"We have to hurry," Kairi insisted, "We only have about twenty minutes until that thing takes his Heart."

"Actually, I found this wonderful capacitor in Drakken's lab," the woman in white smirked broader, "And now it should only take ten minutes, maybe less."

"My dear Duke Igthorn," she turned to her local pawn, "I have come up with a special reward for you."

She gestured, and four Bandit Heartless appeared in the yard. The scimitar wielding monsters glanced around until they found the four largest Ogres, and then sprang forward. They wrapped around the brutes' heads, changing as they did.

"You see, your minions are strong and loyal, but are lacking in brains, fighting skill, and especially attention span. This will fix that."

The Heartless became helmets wrapped around the Ogres heads. The woman then drew a solid black sword from the ground, and handed it to him.

"This will let you control those Ogres. Now, hold them off until this is done?" she simpered, and he nodded with a lusty grin. He leapt off the wall, and the sword erupted wings, slowing his descent. The four possessed Ogres stood up straight, and gripped their clubs tightly.

"I will relish your father's tears, when I present your broken body to him," he told Calla, advancing towards them.

"That's pretty dark, for Igthorn," Gusto said with a touch of apprehension.

"That's the Heartless," Kairi said, "They are feeding his most negative emotions, trying to push him far enough that they can take his Heart."

Calla caught Igthorn's new sword with her own blade. Then she put her shield behind it, throwing her weight into keeping him back. Though the Duke was always stronger than the girl, normally she should have been more than a match for his one hand. But empowered by his new blade, Igthorn pushed her back easily. With the Princess of Dunwyn off balance, it looked like he was going to finish her. But Gruffi quaffed his flask of juice, and bounced into the villain's back, disrupting his attack. The brusque bear started to spring again, however the Human caught him with a backhand punch with his open limb, sending the Gummi flying.

Kairi switched Keyblades again, pointing Diablo Llave at the darkness wrapped Ogre charging her.

"Fire," she intoned, and as she intended, the guided sphere struck the behemoth's 'helmet', stunning him.

"Aim for the Heartless," she informed her allies, and Sunni and Gusto were already drinking their Gummi Berry Juice as she said it.

"Fire," she cast the spell again, hitting the warped Bandit a second time, before jumping back to avoid his revenge swing. Sunni and Gusto struck another of the enslaved Ogres at the same time, the female Gummi bounded into the back of the black helm, while the artist clipped its right ear.

"Protect your heads, you idiots," Igthorn paused in order to direct them. Gusto rocketed upwards again, but this time the Ogre swatted him away, with speed and precision beyond what the untrained brutes were normally capable of.

"Fire!" the Ogre was not able to block the magic, and this time the Heartless covering its face twisted and shimmered.

"It looks like I'll have to deal with you first," the Duke snarled, stepping away from Calla to confront Kairi.

"Lum-ight Bum-urst," Zummi cast the spell he has just looked up that day, and a beam of radiance struck the Ogre Kairi had been fighting, eliminating the damaged Heartless. With the controller gone, the giant slumped forwards, unconscious.

Selphie worked at tying up the club of one of the Ogres, so Tummi and Gruffi could bounce into its head. The Gummis' physical blows were not as effective on the Heartless as the spells, but the Ogre underneath staggered from the rapidly forming concussions. Still, the warrior was able to push the older bear away.

"I'm not sure why you worry my new friend so much, girl," Igthorn took broad swipes with his Heartless sword, forcing Kairi back, "But I think she will reward me with even more power for killing you."

"She's just using you," Kairi shot back, diving to the side and rolling past him, "She has abandoned all of the partners who have failed her."

She aimed a blow at the back of his neck, but he caught the Keyblade with his inky weapon. The villainous noble turned to face her, stabbing at her stomach.

"Eh, I'm used to it," he shrugged, "Besides, I don't intend to fail."

He swung a hard overhand blow, and Kairi caught it on the haft of Diablo Llave. And then she had to brace the far end of the weapon with her other hand. She tried to push him back, but as with Calla, his strength was too great for her. Just when it looked like Kairi would be thrown down, a light flashed from the Keyblade, and the black blade shook in his hand. The older princess pushed away, and once she had distance, proclaimed, "Fire!" The sphere darted at Igthorn, and he blocked with the sword, but that was her target anyway. The Heartless composite weapon shook in his hand, and he nearly dropped it.

"I don't think you should be using that as a real sword," she told him without hint of mockery, "Especially against a Keyblade."

The ruler of Drekmore looked up at the woman in white, but she was fully absorbed in the Heart Extractor on Cavin's chest. Reminded of the time constraint, Kairi went on the offensive. She hit him with Fire again, and then attacked not the man, but the dark sword he held. Igthorn started to panic as a piece of the blade flaked away, and the weapon seemed to be trying to escape his grasp. Then two of his three remaining Ogres collapsed, one due to the efforts of Selphie, and the four young Gummis, and the other between Zummi's spell and Grammi and Gruffi's physical attacks. All eight of them turned to the last darkness controlled brute.

Distracted and struggling against his own weapon, Igthorn hit a rough patch of his unkempt courtyard. The next heartbeat, Kairi dropped Diablo Llave's point, put both hands and the Keyblade's grip, and brought it up hard enough that her feet left the ground. The Heartless sword snapped in half. The severed part of the blade broke apart instantly, but the part still in Igthorn's grip held on long enough for him to slash at her unprotected flank. But Calla, almost forgotten in the fight, surged in and caught the stub blade with her shield. It was too much for the Duke, and as his will faded, the rest of the sword collapsed.

Kairi turned and ran towards the far wall, hoping she was not too late. But the thief was already standing there, holding the containment unit, as if waiting for her to see. The Heart inside was full like the previous two, but the core was a dull grey metal, tinted red at the edges.

"Three down, two to go, Princess of Heart," she announced mockingly, "And that's not even counting the spare."

She cut the air with her hand, and stepped forward off the parapet into the dark portal.

"No," Kairi croaked, dropping her Keyblade.

* * *

"How is he?" Calla asked as Grammi and Zummi emerged. The Gummis and the Human girls had taken Cavin's comatose body back to Gummi Glen.

"I'm not an expert on healing or stasis spells," Zummi admitted sadly, "But I've done everything I can for him. But according to the Great Book, the only real way to save him is to get back his Heart."

"How do we do that?" the Dunwyn maiden asked hoarsely.

"We don't," Zummi said, looking at the two outsiders.

"We'll do it, of course," Selphie said as brightly as she could, "After all, Igthorn says that thief is afraid of us, so obviously all we need to do is track her down."

"And to that end," Zummi took out his medallion, and began to utter a long string of words under his breath. The golden disk began to glow, and the Keyblade reacted. Without thinking, Kairi raised the key, and the beam illuminated the new path.

"We should go," the Princess of Heart said hollowly. But Zummi shook his head.

"There is one more thing first," he said taking out a wooden box, "I saw the kind of magic you used. It isn't unknown to us, but it doesn't mix well with our brand of magic. So I wanted to give these to you."

He opened the lid, and inside were four magic crystals. The first two Kairi recognized immediately as Thunder and Cure, but the last two were an unfamiliar matched pair. They were a pastel green with random streaks of light blue and yellow. Kairi pushed the box back towards him, shaking her head.

"I can't," she said, "I can't take this gift."

"What gift?" Gruffi barked, "We've been guarding these things since before the Great Gummis left, making sure no one like Lady Bane or the Harpy Queen gets their hands on them. You'd be doing us a favor."

"We'd be doing each other a favor," Zummi agreed, "And by helping you we also help Cavin. So please, take them."

Kairi accepted the box with a forced smile. She reached inside, and touched one of the two identical spheres. It absorbed into her, and the understood the new spell in her next breath.

"Aero," she muttered, and the winds stirred around her. She looked in the box for a moment, and then turned to her partner.

"Selphie, you should have the other three," Kairi told the nunchaku wielder.

"Really?"

"Yes," the Keyblade mistress nodded, "I think it is better that way, safer."

The younger woman did not hesitate; she reached into the box and palmed all three gems. They melted into her, and she grinned.

"Thunder, Cure, Aero," Selphie exhaled, "So this is what it's like."

"Kairi," the rotund bear known as Tummi waddled over.

"I also wanted to thank you for helping save us," he said, "Even though you didn't need to. So I think you should have this."

He handed her a wooden circle on a silk cord. Except for its material, it was the same as the one Zummi wore.

"A Gummi Medallion?" she asked, her surprise cutting through her dark mood.

"It's not real," he admitted, "I made it under false pretenses, but it always seemed to bring me luck after that."

The amulet shrunk in her hands, and she automatically switched it out for Diablo Llave. The hand guard was the same stylized bear head as the medallions bore, and the tines of the medium length, brown key were a series of Quick Car tracks between a stone pillar and a tree trunk.

"Gummadoon," she noted, "The key to combat with your feet off the ground."

"Thank you guys, for everything," Selphie told them, guiding Kairi out of the hollow tree house.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Mysterious Journal, Page 88**_

_My mother always said you put a piece of your heart and soul into your diary. It seems she was more right then she knew…_

_My research on controlling the Heartless using the pages of my diary was a success. I discovered that when a person puts pen to paper and pours his or her feelings into what he or she writes, this creates an imprint of that person's Heart and Soul on the page. This allows you to control a Heartless, instilling it with a purpose that remains no matter the distance between you or who else tries to control it._

_I presented my findings today. Just the looks on Dilan and Braig's faces, when I announced I had something to submit made it worth all the sleepless nights borrowing labs, and even some of the dishonor I have had to endure. But it was even better, watching them react as I explained my theory, set out the scientific proof, and then demonstrated the outcome by making a Round Body serve cakes. Master Ansem appeared to be mildly impressed, grand praise indeed from him. Then he told Aeleus to get _me_ a cup of coffee to go with my cake. He even used my name! Afterwards, he told me they would be setting up a real lab for me to continue my research._

_I still can't get over the way Master Ansem said my name…_

_"Nelera…"_

* * *

For the first time since her tour of the Gummi ship, Kairi did not pause to notice that the communal shower/restroom was also as large as the galley and bunk combined. She simply stripped off her clothes, and instead of folding them like usual, tossed them carelessly on the bench. She positioned herself under one of the showerheads, and turned on the cold water all the way, letting it fall on her hair. She bent forward, supporting herself on the shower pillar. Her tears joined the water already streaming down her face. Her body shook as she sobbed lightly. The Keyblade wielder wanted the frigid liquid to dull her pain, to freeze her Heart.

A hand reached past Kairi, and turned off the shower. Selphie draped a towel over her friend, and lead her out of the shower, sitting her down on the bench. The younger woman stroked her teammate's hair gently, until Kairi's eyes ran dry.

"Better?" Selphie asked kindly, but Kairi shook her head.

"I couldn't save Cavin," she choked on the words, "Just like I couldn't save Gosalyn, or Ron."

"Hey, I was there too," the nunchaku wielder chided her friend less tenderly, "And Darkwing, Kim, Calla, and the Gummis. This isn't all your fault."

"I have the Keyblade, I'm the Princess of Heart," Kairi countered despondently, "I am supposed to be the light that will save people. But I can't do anything."

"Kim would have been dead if it wasn't for us. She said so herself," Selphie reminded her, "If you hadn't figured out to attack the Heartless on the Ogres' heads, they rest of us probably would have been died. At least. And do you honestly think Darkwing could have beaten Negaduck without our help? What would have happened in St Canard and Dunwyn if we had let Negaduck and Igthorn stay powered up like that?"

Kairi nodded slightly, her eyes still slightly hollow.

"And it seems to me that another Keyblade wielder failed to prevent the Princesses of Heart from being kidnapped, two of them directly. Did Sora give up?"

Kairi raised her head as a memory floated up. Stripped of the Keyblade and his allies, Sora gripped the wooden sword tightly, and told the Beast he would not give up. The princess took a deep breath, and steadied her shoulders.

"That's better," Selphie nodded, handing Kairi her cloths, "We still have promises to keep to Kim and DW. And we still have to find Riku and Sora."

"Yes, you're right," Kairi said firmly. Then she smiled slightly at her comrade, adding, "Thank you, Selphie."

"That's what sidekicks are for, right?" she asked, standing. The yellow clad teen grimaced suddenly, and asked, "Did I just call myself a sidekick?"

"Not that I heard," Kairi denied with a happy, innocent grin through the remnant tears.

"Good," the younger warrior walked towards the door, "Gadget and I be waiting on the bridge."

* * *

"What is the status of the collection?" the figure on the highest chair asked regally.

"To be honest, we are ahead of schedule," a second cloaked figure answered, "It is as if someone other than Sora is eliminating Heartless."

"Is it the girl, Princess Kairi?" the third seat asked.

"Probably," the second in command answered.

"Perhaps we should reconsider our plans," the leader pondered aloud, "Shift our focus from Sora to Kairi."

"With Naminé here, it would be easier to control her," the third speaker noted.

"And as a Princess of Heart, she can't be consumed by the Heartless," the second agreed.

"And when our goal is met, we could return to our previous study of her," the first told his subordinates, "Now that she is both the Princess and a Keyblade Wielder, she might prove to be an even more interesting subject."

"What about Sora?" the third asked suddenly.

"If we choose this course, we would eliminate him," their leader answered easily, "It would a waste of time to keep guiding him; and it could be trouble having him around if we were not steering him. I need to reflect upon it further, but this plan may prove better for our long term goals."

Axel exhaled strongly with a frown, and silently stalked away from his hiding place.

"I might need to pick up the pace," he said to himself.

* * *

Kairi walked onto the bridge as the Gummi ship decelerated.

"That was more like it," the mouse engineer told the humans happily, "Just over four hours. Welcome to 'The Big Apple'."


	9. Chapter 9

"There are Heartless all over this world," Gadget informed them, visibly worried, "more than on St. Canard or Middleton."

"That's not too bad," Selphie tried to look upbeat.

"Combined," the mouse clarified.

"Oh," the Nunchaku wielder frowned.

"Are there any concentrations?" Kairi asked quietly.

"Two," Gadget answered after staring at the display for a moment.

"Where is the larger group?" the princess queried, and Selphie detected a hint of desperation return to her friend's voice.

"That would be here. It looks like a quarter of the Heartless on this world are attacking that one building," Gadget brought up an image, and Selphie's jaw dropped.

"Is that a castle, on top of a skyscraper?" she gasped.

"Get us down there," Kairi instructed evenly, less concerned with the architecture than with black forms swarming over it like ants.

The two teens were surprised to discover the castle's defenders had matters fairly well in hand. There were over twenty warriors battling the Heartless, though only one was Human. She had flowing orange hair, and a blue tattoo like a wolf or fox's head surrounding her right eye. She wore a suit of red armor with gold highlights, and held a heavy pistol in her right hand and a military combat knife the size of a shortsword in her left. She fired her gun and a beam of scarlet energy lanced through two of the Pirate class Heartless, destroying them instantly.

The other defenders were mostly of the same basic configuration, though six were alive and the other thirteen were mechanical. They were basically humanoid, but with wings and a long tail. They also all had inhuman touches to their faces; mostly minor embellishments like small horns or crests, but one had a beak like mouth and large horns. The living versions varied greatly in size and color; the largest was almost eight feet tall, heavily muscled, and had purple skin and long brown hair; while the smallest was shorter and skinnier than either of the girls, had tan-green flesh and was totally bald. The robots were all patterned after the tallest humanoid, but each had a rocket thruster on its back. And except for the more ornate robot with deep red armor, they were all grey and black.

The last defender looked to be similar to the humanoids, but had no wings and only a stub tail, and it ran around on all fours, barking and snarling like a dog as it tore through Shadows.

"We have more company," the older looking humanoid caught sight of the girls. His skin was a worn brown color, and a scar over his yellowed left eye indicated he had lost use of that orb. He swung his curved sword, the only weapon any of the humanoids carried, catching a Pirate's cutlass, and throwing the creature back. Both the red robot and the purple giant turned to look at the teens.

"They are probably on our side, Hudson," a suave, confident voice emerged from the robot, even as Kairi leapt up and pummeled the head of a Large Armor until the dark monster disintegrated.

"Aye, they do appear to be," Hudson agreed, as Selphie pointed her nunchaku into the sky and announced "Thunder!" damaging and stunning a group of Pirates that had been stalking a hefty warrior with light blue skin.

"At this point, we can use all the help we can get," the red-head added, firing at another of the Heartless.

"They acquit themselves well," the lone female of the winged humanoids watched Kairi deflect a whirling Pirate into one of its fellows, even as the speaker landed on one of the Large Armors, using her wings to balance. She reached down and tore off the Heartless's head in a single motion.

"Father, the round ones are vulnerable at the head," she shouted.

"Reprogramming combat parameters," the unique robot announced, and its standardized fellows began to focus their wrist-mounted lasers on the heavy Heartless. Though the machines were able to eliminate the slow Large Armors, the much more numerous Pirates and Shadows were too fast for them to track accurately.

The Heartless changed their focus to the Keyblade, and Kairi started to feel overwhelmed. She had already spent most of her energy casting Aero multiple times. Each whirlwind killed Shadows and damaged and pushed back Pirates, but more Heartless quickly filled the gaps. She blocked a Pirate's stab, but then a Shadow slammed into her back, bumping her into the buccaneer. The inky brigand lifted its cutlass again, but before it could bring the weapon down, a purple claw tore through it, releasing the trapped Heart. The largest of the winged beings smashed a Shadow, and he smiled at her.

"They seem to have a fondness for you," he told her, a curious inflection in his deep voice.

"It's the Keyblade," she told him, bashing one of the Pirates into oblivion, "But it works out the same. Thank you for saving me..."

She trailed off, not knowing his name.

"I am called Goliath," he informed her, "And you would be?"

"Kairi," she answered, "Thank you, Goliath."

"We are allies fighting a mutual foe," he said simply, "Though I think we will need to speak on that when the battle is done."

He turned away, and called, "Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington, Angela, we will form a circle around Kairi, and drive outwards. We must hurry, dawn approaches."

The red being with the beaked face, the large light blue male Selphie had saved, the small, tan-green one, and the winged female answered his call, gliding above the Heartless. Kairi noticed up close that Angela, the female, had the same purple skin and brown hair as Goliath.

"If I might ask, Goliath, what is your race called?" Kairi found herself adopting more formal tones without intending to. He looked at her curiously, as if surprised by the question.

"We are Gargoyles," he answered.

* * *

"You might have kept me in the loop, Goliath," the red robot removed its 'head', revealing a human male with a goatee. He regarded the tall Gargoyle with an air of faked annoyance.

"We know each other too well Xanatos," Goliath answered with a slightly crooked grin, "I knew you would have your Steel Clan robots focus their attacks where we drove the creatures. But if you truly feel the need to discuss it further, it will have to wait for nightfall."

"Why wait?" Selphie asked confused. The other six Gargoyles had moved to the crowning stones on the largest tower, and struck poses. Goliath climbed the stone easily, and took his place on the largest platform.

"Just watch," Xanatos advised the girls with a slight, knowing smirk.

As the sun crested the horizon, the Gargoyles froze. Their various colors all changed to grey, and their skin took on the texture of granite.

"I never get tired of seeing that," the man remarked.

"David, I'm going to check on Alexander," the woman announced, turning towards the nearest door.

"I'll let Owen know," he said, watching her leaving with a reservedly fond look. Then he addressed the teens, stating, "If you young ladies will come with me, I think we need to talk. But if you will give me a moment first."

"Owen, how are things in the nursery?" he spoke to his wrist.

"Sorry, bossman," a male voice emerged, slightly high pitched and mildly singsong, "Owen isn't here right now."

"Puck?" Xanatos's voice fell in concern, "Does that mean the Heartless made it into the castle?"

"Yeah, some of those little bundles of Darkness poked their heads in here," the spritely voice agreed, "It gave me a chance to give the boy a lesson in coherent light magic."

"Everything's fine," Puck added a touch more seriously.

"Alright," Xanatos sighed in relief, "Fox is on her way to check on Alexander and relieve you. I'm going to need Owen to help take an inventory of the castle."

"Very good, Mr. Xanatos," a new voice rose from the communicator, deeper and much more proper.

"I'll be in my office, talking to our guests," he told his aide, "I think they might hold the _Key_ to everything that has been happening here recently."

"I understand," Owen sounded surprised, "I will join you shortly."

"Thank you, Owen," the billionaire ended the call.

"Sorry about that," he told them, and Kairi nodded.

"I'm not sure how familiar you two are with our world," he told them, leading them into the castle, "So I will try to answer your questions first."

"So you can better prepare your own questions?" the Princess prompted, and he nodded with a grin.

"You seem to be aware of the Heartless and of other worlds," Selphie noted, a hint of a question in her tone.

"This isn't the first time the Heartless and a Keyblade have visited our world," he explained, "In fact, Hudson has prior first hand experience; he was a teenager the last time they attacked."

"When was that?" Kairi frowned in consideration, not knowing a Gargoyle's lifespan.

"Around eleven hundred years ago," Xanatos answered glibly.

"That Gargoyle with the sword is over a thousand years old?" Selphie demanded in amazement.

"In a way," Xanatos smiled more broadly, adding, "Maybe I should give you a brief history lesson."

As they walked he told the girls about the Gargoyles, how they turned to stone during the day, and about the curse that had trapped them for one thousand years. He informed that that he had broken the spell by moving Castle Wyvern to the top of the Eyrie Building, and briefly detailed how he and the Gargoyles had gone from being opponents to allies, partially glossing over his crimes and deceptions.

"I have always been an aficionado of mythology," he continued, as they reached his office, and he removed the right gauntlet from his power armor, "so I had a passing familiarity the legend of when the Heartless first appeared. With Hudson's knowledge, I was able to find enough information about the Heartless to help us mount a defense. Broad spectrum lasers seem to do fairly well, so I generously have loaned energy pistols to the NYPD for the duration of the crisis."

His eyes moved to the Keyblade, and he added, "Though we were more effective last night than we have been the previous three."

He removed the last of his armor, and slid on a robe over the sensory conduction suit he wore underneath. He sat at the chair behind his desk, and regarded them intently, back in his comfort zone.

"If that answers all of your questions, I have one for you," he requested. The girls exchanged a look, and then Kairi nodded.

"You saw how the Heartless retreated at daybreak," he began, "even though they still had a fairly substantial force, and we were about to lose half of our fighters. They have done that every night, all over the city. I cannot find anything in the stories to indicate the Heartless are afraid of the sun or anything to that effect. And Hudson's memory doesn't extend past dawn. So is that usual behavior for the Heartless?"

"It is not," Kairi answered with a frown.

"So what would you make of it?" Xanatos prompted.

"They're after one of the Gargoyles," Selphie blurted out, and Kairi bobbed her head in agreement.

"Why would you say that?" his tone was open yet surprised.

"We have been tracking a woman who is stealing the Hearts of certain, specific people," Kairi told him, "and it is speculation, but I doubt her machine will work when they are stone like that. So she would need to kidnap them at night."

Xanatos's brow furrowed as he considered the information, and he said, "That sounds at least as plausible as my theory."

"Why, what were you thinking?" Selphie asked.

"I thought a Gargoyle might be controlling the Heartless," he explained, "Some of the accounts suggest they will work for a master who has a strong, evil personality. And not all of the Gargoyles are as noble as Goliath's clan."

"It is possible," Kairi conceded dubiously. Xanatos raised an eyebrow at the suggestion.

"You don't sound convinced," he countered evenly.

"Heartless are not particularly loyal," the Keyblade user offered, "So while the Gargoyle using them was turned to stone, they would probably continue to attack the city during the day, trying to steal more Hearts."

While Xanatos considered that, the door opened, and a pale man entered. He appeared to be a few years younger than Xanatos, but his hair was almost white. He wore a set of slim glasses tightly over his blue eyes, and a crisp, navy business suit. His most unique feature was his left hand; it was clenched in a permanent fist where it had been turned to stone from the wrist down.

"Good, Owen," Xanatos greeted his assistant, "Our guests appear tired. If you could have rooms prepared for them."

"Just one room, if possible," Kairi interjected. He raised an eyebrow again, so she added, "In case the Heartless attack while we are resting."

He nodded with another smug grin.

"Once they are settled in, we can get started, Owen," the industrialist instructed mysteriously.

"Of course, Mr. Xanatos."

* * *

"What do you think?" Selphie asked once they were alone.

"About what?"

"Xanatos, the Heartless, all of it," the nunchaku user waved her arms as if to encompass the city, "I don't trust him. He's too slick, and he knows more than he is saying."

"Definitely," the princess nodded, "But I get the impression of a man trying very hard to do the right thing, even though he is not accustomed to it. And I think we can trust Goliath and his clan."

* * *

"So, what is the plan?" Fox whispered to her husband as he slipped into bed. Xanatos left the door to the nursery open, after briefly visiting their son.

"Whatever do you mean?" he countered with a look of feigned ignorance.

"Come on, David," she smirked, "First the Heartless, now a Keyblade. Even if you weren't expecting this, you'll find some way to make use of it. You have to be plotting something."

"Honestly, I'm not," he told her, dropping most of his defenses.

"Why not?"

"After they first attacked four days ago, I asked Owen what Puck knew about the Heartless," he said softly, "And all he would say is that they unnerved him. When I asked if that was him Puck, or him Owen, he answered, 'Both'…"

Fox shuddered, and he nodded.

"Owen doesn't show any emotion, and Puck is, for all intents and purposes, a demigod," Xanatos said, as much for himself as for his mate, "So anything that scares both of them is not something to play around with. Right now I just want the Heartless, and that Keyblade out of my city."

She wrapped her arms around him, as much for herself as for him.

* * *

"So what happens?" Selphie asked Fox. The Xanatoses, the Steel Clan robots, and the travelers were all gathered in the courtyard, prepared for battle and awaiting the Gargoyles' awakening. Once again, Owen was with the toddler Alexander Xanatos.

"Just watch," Xanatos repeated with a hint of wonder.

As the last orange yellow curve of the sun fell behind the horizon, a loud, low cracking sound flowed out from the parapets above. The stone shell of the Gargoyles flaked, and flew away as they flexed and stretched with matching roars. Goliath glanced promptly dropped to the yard, and he and his comrades glided quickly down to join the others.

"I see you two are still here," he addressed the girls with a mildly sardonic tone, "I suppose Xanatos has convinced you to help defend our home."

"Actually, we volunteered," Selphie told him without hesitation.

"We believe our enemy might be after a member of your clan," Kairi added, looking past him to Angela, Brooklyn, Broadway, and Lexington.

"In either case, it is good to have you," the leader of the Gargoyles told them honestly. As he said it, the Steel Clan robots' heads lifted, and a chill went down Kairi's spine.

"They're coming," she said, summoning Innocent Snowfall, having switched back to the longer, Blizzard boosting Keychain after her nap. The other living warriors all tensed, as pools of Darkness formed around them.

But to their surprise, the Heartless horde was more of a small group. A single Round Body, six Soldiers, and six Shadows were all that appeared, and the robots destroyed the large monster before it could take a single step. The remaining Heartless, hopelessly outnumbered and outmatched, were all destroyed in less than a minute. The defenders watched carefully, but no reinforcements arrived.

"That was disappointing," Lexington noted, casually flipping a small Munny orb into the air.

"Is something different than the previous nights?" Selphie asked.

"Only you two," Fox told her, "and you said the Keyblade should attract the Heartless."

"Gadget," Kairi called the Gummi ship with the communication crystal the mouse had given her.

"What is it, Kairi?" the engineer's voice emerged a moment later.

"What are the Heartless doing?" the princess asked intently.

"They aren't surrounding the Eyrie Tower like yesterday," Gadget answered, "But they are still attacking that building to the north-west with the ruined clock on top."

"NYPD headquarters," Broadway noted, a strain in his voice, "They've been attacking the cops, too."

"And there is another group forming around a building north of you and east of the police office," the Gummi Ship operator told them, and Goliath's head perked up.

"What is the address?" he demanded.

"I don't know," Gadget answered, "It's an older brownstone, five stories tall."

"Elisa," he hissed.

"The lass was here the first three nights, but had to work last evening," Hudson recalled.

"Call Detective Maza," Xanatos instructed his armor, and a few seconds later reported, "I'm getting a busy signal."

Goliath turned and ran towards the wall, his wings already spreading.

"Goliath," the armored industrialist shouted after him.

"Do not try to stop me, Xanatos," the purple Gargoyle snarled back.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Xanatos agreed amicably, removing his helmet, "I just wanted to point out that even if you wait twenty seconds for Fox to finish prepping the helicopter, she can still get you there two minutes faster than your best speed."

Only then did they notice that Xanatos's marked wife was gone. A heartbeat later, the sound of a revving motor filled the courtyard, and an elevator raised the craft into view, Fox in the pilot's seat.

"Thank you," Goliath told his ally softly, and the Human grinned in response.

"I'm coming with you, father," Angela insisted, following him towards the chopper.

"We are too," Kairi's voice was haunted by worry and need. Selphie nodded, anxious.

"You can count us in, too," Brooklyn added, but Goliath shook his head.

"I will take Angela, Kairi, and Selphie. The rest of you remain here to watch the castle."

"Kairi," Xanatos stopped the Keyblade user as she started to follow Goliath.

"Since the Heartless appeared, there have been rolling blackouts in the city," he told them, extending a small silver cylinder, "This is a prototype flashlight that runs off the holder's mana field. We are still working out the power requirements, but I think your energy might be enough to make it work. I'd like you to have it."

Kairi took the lamp, and Goliath raised an eyebrow. But as Xanatos released the light, it began to shrink. A chain sprang out of the end of the flashlight, and Kairi clipped it to the back of her weapon. The new Keyblade was glimmering silver, and only slightly shorter than Innocent Snowfall. The hand guard was a simple hexagon, and the tines were stylized 'X'. Uniquely, the point of the weapon was the longest part of the haft, and a beam of light emerged from the Keyblade.

"Perpetual Light," the Princess noted, and as she turned away, Xanatos grinned triumphantly.

"I thought you weren't planning anything," Fox's voice emerged from the speaker in his ear. He smiled more broadly.

"I didn't plan this," he whispered, knowing her headset would pick it up, "I just wanted to see for myself if that part of the story was true as well."

"Uh-huh."

* * *

Goliath exited the helicopter before Fox at even stopped its forward motion. Angela followed, but Kairi and Selphie waited until the transport was over the roof of the building, and a little closer, before jumping out.

"This could be a trap," Kairi was worried by the lack Heartless on the roof. Even as she finished stating her warning, the bark of a pistol and the shattering of glass on the landing below drove Goliath to leap down without hesitation. The three young women all quickly followed.


	10. Chapter 9 part 2

On the other side of the partially broken window, on the far side of the room, crouched a woman in her mid twenties. The travelers presumed she was Elisa. She had light caramel skin and shining blue-black hair hanging just past her shoulders. She wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans. She had been backed into a corner by seven Heartless in two types Kairi did not recognize. Three were some sort of Bell Heartless, but larger and with a grey tint to their straw hats and black bodies. The other four were humanoid, wearing karate gi bottoms with bare, three-toed feet sticking out the bottom. Their chests were noticeably feminine, with a sarashi wrapped around their upper chests, with similar bandages covering their spherical heads. They held wooden staves, pointed at Elisa to help keep her trapped.

The next thing Kairi noticed, as Goliath crashed through the window, was that Elisa's hands were both empty.

"Elisa!" Goliath roared as he scattered the glass and reached for the Heartless.

"Goliath, it's a trap," the detective shouted in warning. She surged to her feet, to intercept him. But one of the grey Bells floated into position above her starting point, and fired a white orb at her. When it hit, Elisa and the Heartless switched spaces, and the Human fell to the ground with a grunt of pain.

"Of course it's a trap," another feminine voice said darkly, dripping with sarcasm. Another female gargoyle stepped from the shadows by the window. She had blue skin and bright red hair, and wore a golden tiara over the crests on her head. Her left hand held Elisa's sidearm, still smoking from the decoy shots. She extended her right arm, holding a larger, high-tech pistol. She aimed at the small of Goliath's back, and before he turned in reaction to her voice, she fired a bolt of blue energy at him. Electricity appeared to course over him body, and the large Gargoyle fell to the floor.

"Goliath," Elisa cried out in fear.

"Demona," Goliath croaked, propping himself up painfully. The traitorous female did not pause; she fired another blast at her former mate, who was unable to resist the second stunner. He collapsed back to the wood paneling, his eyes closed. Kairi tried to move in closer, but Demona tossed Elisa's gun into the far corner of the room and then gestured broadly. More of the Virgo Brawler and Grey Caprice Heartless appeared, and three large Gargoyle type Heartless emerged from behind the villain. The staff fighters cut off Kairi and Selphie, but Angela stared at the Heartless beside her mother, frozen with morbid fear.

"Are those... our people?" Angela asked in hushed tones.

"Not from now," Demona shrugged, "But it could be they are Gargoyles who were turned to Heartless the last time they _visited_. Take him."

Two of the Gargoyle Heartless lifted Goliath between them, and flew out the window. Demona caught the claw of the third flying Heartless, and allowed it to carry her out.

"Thunder," Selphie incanted. Her spell was cut of when one of the female shaped Heartless jumped in the way. It was evaporated by the lightning, but Demona and her minions escaped unharmed. Angela's eyes lit with a fury when the Dark monsters cut off her attempt to follow. She hopped up, and tore through three of the grey Bells, and as she descended, snapped the staff of one of the Virgo Fighters with her heel.

"Cure," Kairi smashed another of the marital artists into ink, and then used her restorative magic on the NYPD detective.

"Thanks," Elisa said, slightly confused, then cried out, "Look out."

One of the fighters nearly clouted the princess in the head, but thanks to the warning, she was able to interpose Perpetual Light. With its weapon tied up, Selphie was able to step in and finish the Heartless. At the same time, the policewoman was able to retrieve her pistol. She ejected the empty clip, and fished another one out of the pocket of her crimson jacket, hanging from a hook on the door. After slamming the ammo home, she took out the five remaining Grey Caprices with a single shot each. Kairi, Selphie, and Angela each eliminated one of the melee Heartless, and the four women ganged up on the remaining two monsters.

"Angela, what's going on?" Elisa demanded, "Who are these girls? And why was Demona working with those Heartless things?"

"We'll explain on the way," Kairi insisted, "Mrs. Xanatos is waiting on the roof with the helicopter."

"We don't even know where Demona took him," Angela protested. Selphie nodded in spite of herself.

"Yes, we do," the princess of Radiant Garden answered firmly, "She took him to the other concentration of Heartless. To the Clocktower."

"That makes sense," Elisa agreed, "The Heartless have been keeping the police out of the top few floors, and it would be just like Demona to use Goliath's former home as a base, to rub it in."

They scrambled through the broken window, and up onto the roof. Fox was holstering her laser, panting slightly, as the remains of the last Heartless on the roof melted away.

"Did I see Demona leaving with Goliath?" the red-haired Human asked.

"We'll explain on the way," Kairi repeated, "Time is critical."

* * *

Fox maneuvered the aircraft close enough to the outside ledge for the three Humans to jump off, before pulling away. The shattered shell of the clock loomed above them, with some damaged scaffolding where repairs had been started. Angela and Elisa immediately surged for the door, and the teens followed close behind. At the partially concealed portal, the detective paused; drawing her weapon and listening. Her eyes tightened.

"Two female voices," Elisa told them, "One of them could be Demona."

"We have to hurry," Kairi urged, "I think the helicopter is faster than the Heartless, but we only have ten minutes after the extraction starts. And that's if she hasn't improved the machine again."

On the trip, they had briefly told Elisa and Angela about the woman in the white coat and her targeted Heart theft. Their predictable reactions of fear and anger had not helped Kairi's mood, which in turn worried Selphie.

"Let's go," the nunchaku user and the female Gargoyle urged at almost the same time. Elisa nodded, and quietly opened the door. After she had space, she swung into the opening, her gun leading.

"Hold it," she ordered, a cop to the core, "Everyone put your hands where I can see them."

Demona and the blond woman both turned to look at her; thoroughly nonplussed. Both stood over the table on which Goliath lay. A familiar device hummed rhythmically on his chest. The white-cloaked thief looked past Elisa, and noticed the two travelers.

"You two, again?" she smirked dismissively, "Are you following me?"

"You could say that, _Nelera_," Selphie accented the name smugly.

"Where did you hear that name?" Nelera was more curious then annoyed, but she was annoyed nevertheless. She turned to face them, with a newly appraising look.

"It was on the journal page you used to control the Heartless that turned into Igthorn's sword," the nunchaku user answered, "You know, that trick you came up with that got you in good with Ansem?"

"It isn't nice to read someone else's diary," the scientist snapped. Then her face mellowed and she shrugged slightly, adding, "But I guess that name serves as well as any."

She turned to her ally and said, "It's getting crowded in here, wouldn't you say, Demona?"

"Yes, very," the female Gargoyle agreed darkly.

"What do you say we get rid of them?"

"I would rather not hurt any others of my kind," Demona's eyes softened slightly as they fell on Angela.

"That suits me fine," Nelera smirked, "But I think you will need my little gift, first."

She clapped her hands and the three Gargoyle Heartless reappeared. They crashed into Demona, merging and flowing over her body. The mass of Darkness congealed into a suit of black plate-mail. Behind her, Demona's wings had doubled in size, and she flapped them experimentally, and started to hover a few inches above the floor.

"At last, true flight," she purred, "No more gliding."

The last thing Kairi noticed was that the heads of the Gargoyle Heartless were now part of the wrists of Demona's armor, so it appeared as if her hands were bursting out of their mouths. She pointed her left hand at the wall, and a sphere of fire emerged, splashing against the stone.

"I must say, it is my finest work," Nelera boasted.

"But still they have numbers one their side, so..." the blond woman swept off her coat, which faded into nothing as it fell. Her outfit underneath was of the same white leather, but much less substantial, revealing a great deal of her impressive bust line and flat stomach. Her boot extended just past her knees, and her gloves just past her elbows.

"Much better," the Heart thief sighed, raising her hands, holding a dagger between each pair of fingers. The action served as trigger to Demona, who swooped down at Elisa, her red eyes tight with hatred. She aimed her right hand at the Human detective, and shot an orb of flame at her. Kairi jumped in front of the policewoman and blocked the fire with her Keyblade.

"Down," Elisa ordered, and Kairi ducked. The pistol barked five times, and not one shot missed. But even though the impact diverted her, the bullets did not seem to do any damage to Demona's armor.

Selphie darted forward, swinging both ends of her extra-large weapon at the woman in white. Nelera caught the strike on her left wrist without even a grimace or shudder. Her right hand shot out, aiming the four blades it held at Selphie's neck. Angela stepped in and caught Nelera's wrist. The Gargoyle girl's face lit with surprise from the effort it took to stop their opponent's stab; she had never encountered or heard of a pure Human who was that strong. Cyborgs and the genetically altered, but not a normal Human.

"Blitzen," the blonde woman announced, and electricity flashed over her form, shocking Angela. Selphie had already escaped, and stabbed the sharpened tail of the Dragon Chucks into the thief's uncovered lower back. Nelera turned half a step, and pointed her knives at the teen again.

"Raijin," she incanted just before Selphie struck her. A horizontal bolt of lightning emerged from the daggers, throwing the nunchaku wielder back as it struck her in the chest.

"Cure," the yellow clad girl croaked, her whole body numb. Angela slammed Nelera's knee with her tail, and then caught her wrist again. The lightning user used the same spell she had on Selphie, but Angela forced her arm to the side, so that the spear of energy nearly struck Demona instead.

"Aero," Kairi used the wind magic to force the maniacal Gargoyle back, giving her a few moments to breath. Unfortunately, the spell did not appear to hurt Demona or her armor. The Keyblade user was over matched in strength and at least evenly met in skill, so it was taking all of her speed and flexibility to keep the darkness clad villain from taking her out of the fight. Elisa was nursing a sprained or broken left wrist, after her gun had proven ineffective, she tried to attack Demona physically, but she had been knocked aside for her effort.

'The only reason I am still in the fight,' Kairi decided, 'is because Demona kept trying to get past me to Elisa. I need to stop holding back.'

"Blizzard," she pelted the twisted Gargoyle with ice, and then charged in, aiming at the armor on Demona's left wrist, intent on diminishing the kidnapper's Fire power. The Keyblade struck hard, and Kairi quickly spun away while sketching another blow. Demona's eyes narrowed in consideration, and the princess watched for an opening to heal her ally. The Gargoyle's reinforced claws slashed down, each on a different diagonal. Kairi caught both with Perpetual Light, and rather than struggle with Demona, she used the force to fuel her movement as she slid past the villainess, striking her opponent's armored ribs with a resounding clang. Then the Keyblade user sprinted over to her injured ally, shouting "Cure" as she dodged a wing smash.

"Thunder!" Selphie shouted, and Nelera's eyes widened incredulously. But the spell was not aimed at the lightning user, and instead struck the device on Goliath's chest. Though the male Gargoyle went rigid for an instant, the Heart Extractor did not stop or slow when it was hit, nor did its victim awaken.

"Did you think I wouldn't fortify my extractors against your magic?" Nelera taunted, sweeping both of her sets of weapons upwards at Selphie's face. The girl was able to interpose her nunchaku, and even knocked one of the daggers out of the blonde's left hand. The scientist turned thief swooped down to recover the blade, but Angela cut her off. Her claws tagged Nelera's uncovered bicep, but did not pierce her skin.

"Elisa, how good of a shot are you?" Kairi asked softly, fending off Demona's tail.

"Second best in the precinct," the policewoman answered without pride, "Why?"

"Can you shoot that thing on Goliath's chest?" the princess explained by asking, "But only the machine part on the top or bottom. If you hit the glass, I'm afraid it will keep working and Goliath's Heart will escape and become a Heartless."

"Do you think I will give you a chance to try?" Demona snarled.

"She has a point," Elisa rolled backwards to avoid a Fire and wing combo attack.

"Can you do it?" Kairi said desperately.

"Yeah, I think I can."

"Alright," Kairi turned her full attention back to Demona, immediately intoned, "Thunder."

As the spell hit the Gargoyle, Kairi jumped forward, aiming for her wings, where the armor was thinnest. She slashed three times in rapid succession, cracking the armor. Demona responded by slamming her tail into the teen, and even though Kairi put her Keyblade between them, she was thrown back and scuffed up.

That was enough time for Elisa. The detective dropped to one knee, and carefully lined up her shot before squeezing off two rounds. The first bullet skipped off the top of the machine, leaving a nice divot. But the second buried itself deep in the circuits. The Heart Extractor began to make a different sort of humming noise, and spewed forth some thin green smoke. As she rolled to her feet, Kairi locked her eyes on the bullet hole, and pointed her Keyblade at it, shouting, "FIRE!"

The targeted spell flew straight for the gap, bypassing Nelera's protective enchantments. The heat and flame fused the remaining machinery, and the extractor shut down with a loud 'pop'. Goliath's breathing became deeper yet also faster. The woman in white glared at Kairi and Elisa in mild annoyance, and surprisingly, Demona's reaction was much more severe.

"What have you done?" she shrieked, before throwing herself recklessly at the Keyblade wielder, "I was finally going to be rid of him!"

The teen was battered by the berserker assault, until Elisa turned and calmly put a bullet through the crack in Demona's wing armor. The Gargoyle's scream changed from rage to pain as the projectile tore through the thin, sensitive membrane. Selphie and Angela suddenly remembered their opponent, but Nelera had backed away and was already opening a portal when they faced her. Demona noticed as well, and her face showed surprise.

"Where are you going?" the blue skinned Gargoyle asked.

"I'm done here," the blonde human shrugged, "It will take me days to build a new extractor for the Heart of Granite. I like you as much as you or I are capable of, Demona, but I don't have time to waste fighting if I won't have any chance of achieving my objective. I would suggest that you retreat as well."

With that sentiment, the researcher vanished into the Darkness. Demona surged back to her feet, snarling incoherently. But as she moved to charge again, something changed. Her armor froze up, a pool of Darkness spread out from the floor around her, and the treacherous Gargoyle began to sink into the shadows.

"What's happening?" Angela asked.

"The Heartless," Kairi explained as she darted forward, "She's too out of control, and so she can't command them. They are trying to take her Heart."

She smashed the open maw around Demona's hand, destroying part of the Heartless armor, but not slowing the Gargoyle's absorption. Angela grabbed her mother's hand and pulled back with all of her strength, but to no avail. Selphie and Elisa grabbed their ally's arms, but still Demona inched deeper. Suddenly a larger arm extended past them. Goliath shredded the armor over his former mate's torso, and then grabbed her shoulder, yanking her free. The Heartless under them started to reform, but Kairi stabbed down with the Keyblade, and it melted away instead. In its place was another sheet of paper, and Selphie snatched it triumphantly.

Goliath gently set down his unconscious enemy, and let out an exhausted sigh.

"Can someone tell me what has happened here?" he rumbled in confused frustration.

* * *

"So Goliath was the target the whole time," Lexington said thoughtfully. Fox had been waiting close by, and the helicopter had carried everyone, including the bound and unconscious Demona, back to Castle Wyvern.

"When she realized the Heartless could not capture me here, she must have decided to lure me out of the castle," Goliath decided.

"How do we know this Nelera won't come back?" Brooklyn frowned.

"She might," Kairi nodded, "But now that you know whose Heart she wants, it will be harder for her to ambush you again."

"And Nelera said she has a spare target," Selphie added brightly, noticing her friend's improved disposition, "So she has less reason to come back."

"She will go after someone else?" Goliath growled angrily.

"And we will go after her," Kairi said reassuringly, "We will stop her again, and find out where she has hidden the other Hearts she stole."

"And to help you in that respect…" Xanatos walked forward carrying an extra large briefcase, "since I already supplied Kairi with a weapon, I think it is Selphie's turn."

He opened the container, revealing a pair of forty-two inch long metal poles with rubber grips, connected by a high tensile cord.

"These devices were created to convert wind to electrical power," he explained, "But Fox found a different use for them."

Selphie pounced on the weapon, and then darted back, spinning them experimentally. The high-tech nunchaku thrummed through the air, but spun faster than the Dragon Chucks. After a few quick moves, she snapped the new weapon under her arm, and slipped the Dragon Chucks into her bag.

"Thank you Mister Xanatos," she grinned broadly.

"So where will you go next?" Angela asked.

"We haven't found a new path yet," Kairi pondered the question, "We haven't found the right connection."

"If you like, we can try to help you find it tonight," Goliath offered, and Kairi nodded gratefully, "We will see you at sundown, then."

The Gargoyles scaled the side of the building, and assumed their poses as the sun started to crest the horizon. The light formed a halo around Goliath's now stony visage, and the Keyblade appeared in Kairi's hand. Feeling the pull, she pointed it towards their frozen ally, and the beam emerged. It flashed through the Gargoyle, scribing the Keyhole onto the sky.

"I take it this means you will be leaving," Xanatos raised an eyebrow at the light show.

"Tell Goliath thanks for us," Selphie requested.

"I guess I'm not 'too slick' to do that," he agreed with a smirk. Selphie looked mildly embarrassed at the barb.

"For now, I should join Detective Maza and discuss what we are going to do with Demona," he excused himself. Fox Xanatos watched her husband go with a slightly pensive expression.

"There is one thing he didn't tell you," Fox said once David was out of earshot, "On the first night you were here, the Heartless stole something. The prototype for a man portable electron migration laser."

"A weapon?" Kairi prompted, and Fox's frown deepened.

"That's the thing," the older woman answered, "It's not a weapon. It's a device to transmit electricity wirelessly."

"But it could be used as a weapon," Selphie offered, "like a lightning gun?"

"No, it's totally safe," Fox countered, "Believe me, David and I have plenty of experience turning things into weapons that would not normally be."

She gestured towards Selphie's new nunchaku.

"The electron migration laser can deliver enough energy to power an average city block in a one centimeter beam. But if it were to hit you, all you feel is a slight tingling. That's why it's so useful, except to the receiver dish, the beam is harmless."

"Maybe she wants use it to power something else?" Kairi thought out loud.

"But they didn't steal any of the receivers," Fox shook her head dubiously, "And frankly, the fusion power packs the Steel Clan robots use are smaller and provide more power."

"Then why steal the laser?" Selphie shrugged.

"She might have some other use for it," Fox suggested, "You guys know more about magic than we do…"

She smirked ironically at that, which neither of the teens understood.

"… and her technology is fairly advanced," the former mercenary continued, "so she must have some use for it, to have the Heartless steal it. Anyway, I thought I should warn the two of you."

"We'll keep it in mind," the princess nodded, "Thank you for telling us."


	11. Chapter 10

_**Nelera's Journal, Page 92**_

_I was too optimistic. Though my control presentation was enough to get me my lab, once the initial shock wore off, the others returned to their normal condescending ways. Oh, they can't make me take notes for them, or fetch them coffee, but they cut me off when I speak, and do their best to ignore me. And I still can't bring myself to talk to them in person like I do here. So the only thing I can think to do is complete my work on the Adamant Hearts, and shut them up again._

_There are eleven Adamant Hearts; Oak, Marble, Granite, Copper, Iron, Silver, Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, Diamond, and Serenity. My original speculation was correct, further reading indicates that 'Serenity' refers to the odd crystals that Moogles use in crafting, rather than some sort of state of mind. The Adamant Hearts are special Hearts, spread out across the worlds, not unlike the Princesses of Heart. But the Adamant Hearts are not free of Darkness. Instead, they possess an indomitable will, as their name suggests. The bearer of an Adamant Heart will try things that should be beyond their abilities, and will frequently succeed. They generally start off as the apprentice or sidekick to a more competent individual, but often grow to be a hero or leader in their own right. _

_This capacity to exceed their limits without actually growing is what interests me. It is possible that if enough of the Adamant Hearts were brought together, they might be able to do something that is truly impossible. So far, I have been able to find seven of the Adamant Hearts, not counting the Copper Heart; the previous Copper Heart has died and I do not think a new one has been born yet. In addition, five of the seven are in children, leading me to believe a new generation of these Hearts is just starting. And the Granite Heart is a special case, as its owner is trapped in a curse. Of course, if the bearers of the other four Adamant Hearts are adults, that will destroy this theory, but ultimately it doesn't matter for my work._

_What I really need is a way to perform a thorough examination of one of the Adamant Hearts. The Serenity Heart was here, but its bearer has since left Radiant Garden. I will have to find a way to get one of the other subjects to further study._

* * *

"So do you know where we're heading, yet?" Selphie prompted Gadget. The mouse girl shook her head, her lips pursed in frustration.

"The old start maps aren't giving me any clues," the engineer told the Humans, "And I'm not picking up anything on long range sensors."

"It has only been twelve hours," Kairi pointed out, unconcerned, "maybe it's another long trip."

"That would make sense," the tiny girl agreed. Then the ship started shaking violently.

"What's going on?" Selphie asked, slipping out of her chair.

"We're under attack!" Gadget shouted, looking at the readouts.

"Heartless?" Kairi moved to the pilot's position, while Kairi strapped into the gunner's chair, "Or Nobodies?"

"I don't think it's either," Gadget's hair fluttered as she shook her head rapidly, "It isn't a Gummi Ship, which is why the computer didn't react until after we were hit."

She frowned, and told them, "The enemy ship is hailing us."

A view screen popped up. On it was a square jawed Human man, with a skintight purple hood hiding his hair. He also wore a green and white armored suit with a transparent dome helmet.

"This Captain Buzz Lightyear of Star Cruiser 42," he informed them sternly, "As enemies of Star Command you are ordered to stand down and prepare to be boarded."

The three young women all exchanged worried glances.


	12. Chapter 11

"So, why did we let him lock us up again?" Selphie looked back at her two comrades. She was standing at the doors of one of 42's holding cells, while the other two women sat on the benches that surrounded the remaining three walls of the chamber.

"It was either that or fight back," Kairi said, "which would have just proven his suspicions."

"Star Command is a legitimate authority in the region," Gadget pointed out.

"And it will be easier to clear thing up this way," the princess finished.

"Fine," Selphie sighed, "But when we get home, you better not tell my mom I was arrested."

"Of course not," Gadget said solemnly, but Kairi just smiled and shook her head.

"That's enough chatter down there," Buzz's voice emerged from the intercom, "And don't think I'm buying that innocent little girl act. You people have disabled almost two-dozen Star Cruisers. You attacked without warning or provocation. Just because you appear to be two teenage girls and a talking mouse, doesn't mean I'll let my guard down."

"We are two teenage girls," Selphie shouted back.

"We are not your enemies," Kairi's response was more controlled, "We might use the same technology, but we are not the ones who attacked you."

"Oh yeah," the Ranger countered eloquently, "If that's true, why are your friends coming to rescue you?"

The ship swerved suddenly, but it was not soon enough, and the whole vessel shook from weapons' fire impacts. Selphie was nearly knocked down, and Kairi stood up.

"Darn it," Buzz muttered to himself, forgetting to disable the intercom, "Those things are accurate enough normally, but I can't maneuver well while towing their ship. And the blasted LGMs removed the single operator functionality, so I can't shoot back because no-one else wanted to take a nice relaxing flight..."

More hits shook the spaceship, and 42 started to slow.

"Prepare to be boarded," Buzz ordered habitually. Seconds later the black forms of Shadows emerged in the hallway outside the cell. The nunchaku user backed away, nervous without her weapon, not that she had room to swing it in the cell. Kairi gently moved her retreating friend out of the way.

With a flash of light and a faint metallic ring, the Keyblade appeared in its owner's hand. She pointed it at the panel by the door, and a beam of light struck it. Though the controls did not appear damaged, the bars split instantly, retracting into the floor and ceiling. Kairi darted into the corridor, already smashing the first Heartless. Selphie scooped up Gadget, and followed her friend. The Keyblade mistress led them to the exit, where their bags and Selphie's nunchaku leaned against the wall. The younger Human retrieved her weapon with a sigh of relief, and transferred Gadget to her shoulder.

"Hold on tight," she advised her tiny ally, and the Mouse dug her fingers and toes deep into the fibers of Selphie's t-shirt. And her tiny face turned slightly green as Selphie's shoulders dipped and spun as the Human smashed her weapon into a Shadow.

"Hang on a second," Gadget called out after they finished clearing the room, "Selphie, hold me up by that console."

She quickly hit some buttons, and a map came up.

"OK, this route will take us to the bridge," she informed the warriors, "Or our ship is here, if you just want to escape."

"Nah, we need to go help that guy, right?" Selphie grinned at Kairi knowingly. The Princess of Heart nodded. Both teens memorized the path through the cruiser, and set out to the bridge.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Buzz Lightyear demanded when he noticed the three young women entering the command deck. He had been driven into the center window by two, armored Heartless with blades for hands. He fired his wrist laser at one, and the creature crossed its swords in front of its body, stopping the attack.

"Saving you," Selphie shouted back, adding, "Thunder!"

Her spell hit just in time to stun the Heartless that was in the process of charging the Space Ranger. Kairi raced forward, smashing the creature in the back.

"Selphie, set me on that console," Gadget requested, and the younger woman complied before joining the fight. The Mouse scampered over the controls, frowning.

"Your targeting system can't get a lock on the Heartless ships," the rodent announced, "I'll fix that."

"What are you doing?" Buzz cried out, even as he shot the Heartless that had decided to focus on Selphie, "You are _not_ authorized to make alterations to Star Command equipment."

"Twenty-seven enemies ships detected," a pleasant voice emerged from the computer, "Activating automated defenses."

Beams of yellow light flared out past the bridge, and the Heartless ships exploded. Selphie tripped the Zip Slasher, and Lightyear pulsed three lasers into the creature's head finishing it.

"Fire," Kairi burned the remaining enemy with her homing spell, not wanting to risk hitting any of the spaceship's equipment. She followed the magical attack with a series of quick strikes, disintegrating the melee Heartless.

"No enemy ships detected," the cruiser reported, "Returning weapons to standby."

"So, are we still your enemies?" Selphie asked with pointed, false sweetness.

"Selphie," Kairi chastised her friend lightly.

"I want to know too," Gadget countered the princess, "Otherwise, I should undo the changes I just made to the targeting and IFF subroutines..."

"Alright, let's talk," the Ranger threw up his hands in defeat.

* * *

"I guess if the Heartless Gummi ships have been attacking you guys for over a month, I can understand why you'd be suspicious of us," Selphie conceded. The three girls had told Buzz their story, after which he explained that his organization had been battling unknown attackers on and off for the past thirty-five days.

"Why were you out here alone?" Kairi asked, referencing the team the Ranger had alluded to during both the battle and his story.

"My team and I were given three days mandatory leave," he explained bitterly, "I decided my time off would best be spent on a leisurely cruise."

"So you went looking for the Heartless on your own," Selphie needled him, "when you were supposed to be resting."

"I went on a pleasant drive around the asteroid belt," Buzz shot back, then smugly added, "If I _happened_ to come across these Heartless things, I could hardly be blamed. Either way, we're here."

The ship banked slowly, and a space station the size of a small planetoid came into view. Selphie rushed to the window to get a closer look, and then stepped back with a frown.

"Is that what I think it is?" the younger teen asked nervously. Buzz amplified the image, and they could all see dozens of Star Command Cruisers buzzing around the base, fighting off hundred of Heartless ships. A number of the Darkness controlled Gummi Ships had also attached to the hull of the station.

"We should get back to our ship and help them," Gadget suggested, but both Kairi and Buzz shook their heads.

"Don't underestimate the Space Rangers," he scolded, "We've done fine so far with manual aiming. And if you really want to help, distributing your targeting fix would be more useful than one more ship. So, we need to get you to the central computer core."

"Whatever Nelera is after, whether it is technology or one of the Rangers, it's on the base," Kairi stated. Selphie nodded, not convinced that the blonde woman was there; but she was also well past starting to suspect that they were following the thief.

Buzz piloted 42 towards its docking bay, blasting a trio of Heartless ships that got too close. He steered carefully into the vertical landing pad, aware that his allies' ship was still docked with his vessel.

"Come on," he ordered, "We have to get Gadget up to ops."

That proved to be easier said than done. There were Heartless all over the station, and like outside, they had the Rangers outnumbered. There were also more different breeds of the monsters than the travelers had seen on the other worlds. Shadows, Soldiers, Round Bodies, Pirates, Bandits, and even a few Large Armors, Zip Slashers, and Neo Shadows filled much of the available floor space. In addition, they counted seven different varieties of Bell Heartless raining down various spells on the Space Rangers. A few times, they stopped to intervene on behalf of some of the more beleaguered officers, all of whom greeted Buzz with relieved thanks, and then hurried off to pay the assistance forward.

Both of the teens were exhausted by the time they reached their goal, and Gadget looked a little nauseous from riding on Selphie's shoulder while the warrior had fought.

"Cure," Kairi expended the last of her power to recover their injuries, and then she quaffed an Ether. The young woman could not guess what they would find on the other side of the door, and she wanted to be ready. Buzz punched in a command code, and the sealed portal slid open.

A multi-color barrage of energy beams emerged from the doorway immediately, and they were forced to dive to the sides of the hallway.

"Stand down," their escort called out, "It's Ranger Lightyear."

"Buzz?" a mechanical hand extended out the door, holding a yellow cylinder with a simplistic robot face. The robot's eyes brightened when they saw Buzz, and the hand quickly retracted.

"Get in here, Lightyear," an older, cranky, yet definitely human voice ordered.

"Yes sir," the soldier barked, guiding the girls into the room. On the other side, they saw the rest of the robot, who was a series of connected cylinders, patterned after the Star Command space suit. There was a panel open in its chest, with a mass of guns sticking out.

"Lightyear, who are these civilians, and what are they doing on my station at a time like this?" the grouchy voice came from an older man, slightly taller than Buzz, with a full grey beard. He was also missing his right leg, and it had been replaced by a heavy energy weapon. Behind the human where four small aliens, green skinned, with bulbous heads, three eyes, and a single antennae sprouting from the top. Each held a weapon uneasily.

"Experts on the enemy, Commander Nebula," Buzz explained, "In particular, the Mouse was able to reprogram 42 to be able to target the attacking ships."

"What are you waiting for then?" Nebula demanded, "Get them to work."

"Oh, I am so glad to see you Buzz," the robot gushed, rolling over on his tracked feet.

"Good to see you to, XR," the Ranger smiled slightly, "Over here, Gadget."

"Where are Mira and Booster?" Buzz asked his comrades warily, as the rodent began typing. The little green men all shuffled over to watch the smaller engineer.

"Won't work," two told her, almost in unison.

"Already tried it," a third proclaimed.

"It will, if I remodulate the frequency like this," Gadget countered.

"Ooh," all four LGMs cooed in harmony.

"We haven't seen or heard from Rangers Nova and Munchapper since the latest attack started," Nebula frowned as he considered Buzz's question, "Why?"

"Something these girls told me leads me to believe they might be in trouble," Buzz answered, "The enemy is targeting certain kinds of people, and both Mira and Booster could fit the bill. I'd like to request permission to look for them, sir."

"Permission granted," the leader of the Rangers agreed, then cautioned, "But I can't let you have XR, I need him here."

"As long as there is no objection to these two going with me," Buzz nodded. Nebula studied the teens for a moment, and then shrugged.

"If you're willing to vouch for them," the older Ranger said dubiously.

"I will."

"Gadget, will you be OK here?" Kairi asked carefully.

"Yeah," the Mouse answered absently, "It will take me a few more minutes to finish up..."

"We'll keep an eye on her," the commander assured them.

* * *

After nearly a half hour of searching and fighting, they had not found either of Buzz's missing team members. The trio paused for another breather after destroying a Large Armor and Zip Slasher that worked together uncommonly well.

"How big is this place?" Selphie queried.

"Twenty-seven decks, each an average of three square miles," Buzz answered.

"It will take forever to search that much area," the nunchaku wielder complained.

"Not all of that is open space," the Ranger offered weakly, "Almost half of that is occupied by the structure and equipment."

"Lightyear," the Nebula's voice emerged from Buzz's wrist communicator, "We found Booster. The poor kid was frozen in a block of ice, in the cafeteria. Fortunately, his suit protected him. We just finished thawing him out, and we thought you'd want to hear what he has to say."

"Buzz, he got Mira," a new voice cried into the communicator. Buzz frowned, and Kairi and Selphie exchanged worried looks.

"Who got Mira?" the senior Ranger demanded of his teammate.

"It was one of those monster things, but different," Booster tried to explain, "We were eating lunch when the attack started. This tall, skinny, light blue guy came in with a bunch of the small, all black ones. He had this big shield with spikes around the edge, and when he pointed it at me, it suddenly got really cold. I barely managed to get my helmet closed before he froze me solid. I couldn't see that well through the ice, but he partially froze Mira, and then dragged her away."

"When was this?" Kairi asked carefully.

"Almost an hour ago," Nebula answered.

"Commander, can you have the LGMs use the internal sensors to scan for any areas of intense cold?" Buzz asked cannily.

"Already done," the commander answered, "There's a big one not to far from you; Medical Bay #2."

"OK, we'll check it out," he said quickly, closing his wrist panel, and then barking, "Come on!"

He jogged a hundred yard to the next junction, and the teens hurried to follow. He made a sharp right, and brought up his wrist to shoot down shoot down the pair of Red Nocturnes that were waiting. He led them through the corridors, running past any Heartless they could not destroy in the first salvo. Buzz slid to a halt in front of a large pair of double doors, bearing the expected label of "Medical Bay #2". He paused briefly to catch his breath, and after Kairi nodded that they were ready, he triggered the door. As it slid open, a dense blue fog rolled out, and the girls shivered slightly from the cold.

Standing in the middle of the room was a tall, angular Heartless. It did not appear to have a single curve anywhere on its seven-foot frame, and its limbs were as thin as Kairi's. Though mostly cyan in color, it also had areas of pure blue and black. And, as Booster indicated, it carried a large, teardrop shaped shield on its left arm. The shield was aquamarine, with a black border and the Heartless emblem in the center, and had thirteen spikes spaced evenly around its edge.

Behind the Heartless, on one of the beds, lay a young woman in Space Ranger uniform. She had a slender build, muted green skin, and orange hair. On her chest rested a familiar Heart Extractor, but this one had already completed its task, and Mira's Heart floated in the center of the cylinder, brilliant green and crystalline in appearance. Kairi and Selphie had no doubt; they were looking at the Adamant Heart of Emerald.

Buzz grunted angrily, and rolled into the room, coming up on one knee, firing rapidly at the Heartless. The frigid being caught the lasers with its shield, and then pointed its free hand at the Ranger. A spear of ice formed in front of its palm, and shot at Lightyear. Selphie stepped in front of their new ally, and knocked the projectile out of the air with her nunchaku.

"Fire!" Kairi launched a sphere of flame at the Heartless, but it blocked her attack as well. Buzz took the opening, and fired low, landing three hits to the monster's legs before it dropped its aegis back into the path of the Ranger's weapon. While it was guarding, Selphie moved in, stabbing both high and low with the two arms of her extra large weapon. The Heartless guarded its head, and Selphie spun her weapon around to land another blow on the creature's legs. Kairi moved around behind it, striking at the guardian's back. It dropped under her strike, and drove its shield into the deck, causing spikes of ice to spring up around it.

"We have to defeat this thing before its boss comes back," Kairi said, as she rolled to her feet after being knocked back by the attack, "so we can get a look at that machine, and see if there is a way to reverse the process."

"What's the plan?" Lightyear asked.

"It should be weak to fire," Selphie said, "Do you have a flamethrower in that suit?"

"Sorry, this isn't the heavy weapons module," the Ranger shook his head.

"Then you and I distract it so Kairi can hit it with her magic," the younger teen suggested, "We'll hit it when we can, but that's not our main purpose."

Kairi nodded, and switched Perpetual Light for Diablo Llave.

"I'm still not sure I believe in magic," Buzz informed them, "but if you can buy me twenty seconds, I might be able to help out in the distraction department."

Buzz started entering commands into his suit's computer, as both young women swung their respective weapons at the Heartless. It skipped back, and caught both of their attacks on its large shield. As the nunchaku and Keyblade clanged off the barrier, it sent out a wave of arctic air that sapped both warriors' strength. Selphie shook it off by rapidly and randomly spinning her weapon towards the watchdog Heartless; which also kept her opponent off balance.

"Cure," Kairi removed the damage from the cold, then stabbed towards the scorch marks on the creature's leg. The monster stepped away, but Kairi did not have a chance to follow up.

"Back!" Buzz barked, raising his wrist. The teens scampered away, and the Ranger's wrist laser began to spit out lines of multi-colored light, creating a broad cone of energy. The Heartless crouched behind the shield, while still watching the girls. Ice began to spread out around him, but as Buzz's light show cut out, the nunchaku user hopped over the trap, aiming the chain for guardian's neck. The Heartless raised its defensive weapon to block, and Buzz drilled a laser into its side. It rotated its shield to try to ward off both Buzz and Selphie at the same time, giving Kairi her opening.

"Fire!" she incanted, launching the sphere into its right shoulder. The Heartless shuddered under the spell, and in its hesitation, Selphie was able to score a hit on the creature's head. Buzz fired into the monster's back, and it pitched forward. It quickly pushed itself back up to its knees, swinging its shield around to try to ward them off.

"Ah, poor Even," Nelera tutted. The three Humans all turned suddenly at the sound of her voice. She was standing next to Mira, and had claimed the Heart Extractor from the Ranger's chest.

"I always hated him the least," the blonde continued, "He was just as arrogant and condescending as the others, but he was that way towards everyone, and he almost had the brain to back it up. He was nearly as smart as me. Too bad; Vexen is already gone, and now it looks like the Arctic Alchemist's time is up."

She stepped back away from them and opened a portal.

"Oh well, he served his purpose," she grinned at them, "And this makes four."

Kairi stepped towards her, but the princess already knew she was too far away. The thief vanished into the void of darkness, and was gone.

The Heartless capitalized on their distraction, and sent out spikes of ice from the deck plate again. The attack struck both girls, and narrowly missed Buzz, who was the furthest away. Selphie jammed the ends of her nunchaku to the floor to stop skidding backwards, even as she chanted, "Cure."

"Fire," Kairi let herself be knocked into the air by the attack, choosing instead to counterattack angrily. As her spell hit the ragged looking cold user, Lightyear fired another round of light beams into the Heartless, which was only able to stop one with its aegis. It swayed weakly, and Selphie darted back in. She struck the arm holding the shield, tearing the barrier weapon free. It looked around in apparent confusion, but before it could try to recover its shield, Kairi jumped forward. She landed two quick shots to the Alchemist's head while in mid air, and then placed both hands on Diablo Llave's handle and put her weight behind the weapon as she brought it down on the crown Heartless's skull. The monster began to break apart as it collapsed to the floor.

As it disintegrated, two sheets of paper fluttered down, and a small orb plunked to the floor. As Selphie retrieved pages, Kairi picked up the crystal sphere. It was deep purple, with a black core, and it immediately merged into her.

"Gravity," she whispered.

* * *

"What's going to happen with Mira?" Booster asked desperately. Contrary to his high-pitched voice and youthful manner of speaking, the last member of Team Lightyear was almost eight feet tall and robustly built, with thick, mottled, red skin.

Buzz and the young women had returned to the command deck, and informed Gadget, Commander Nebula, XR, the LGMs, and Booster what had occurred.

"She will be fine, so long as nothing else happens to her Heart or Body," the Mouse engineer reassured him. Then she ran over to Kairi, with the LGMs following her like love struck puppies.

"Kairi, we have a request," she said cautiously. The small aliens all nodded vigorously.

"Yes?" the Keyblade user prompted openly.

"We would like to scan the different forms of your Keyblade," Gadget explained, "The LGMs think they might be able to find a way make their weapons more efficient against the Heartless. And in return, they have offered to help me improve our engines, so we can move between worlds faster."

"Of course," the princess nodded, summoning the Keyblade. She switched the Keychain back to the original Princess Key, deciding to start at the beginning. The green scientists began pointing various high-tech devices at the weapon, vocalizing awe over the results. After they finished, she replaced the Paopu Fruit Keychain with the stylus Keychain, manifesting Innocent Snowfall.

"That's assuming we find a way to the next world," Selphie muttered, fluttering the new diary fragments. As Kairi brandished Innocent Snowfall for the LGMs, the pages started to glow, and the Princess of Heart felt the familiar tug on her Keyblade. She half turned, and the beam of light shot through the paper, illuminating the Keyhole in the empty space out Star Command.

"Ask and you shall receive," Selphie noted with wry grin.


	13. Chapter 12

_**Nelera's Journal, Page 134**_

_The final experiment is complete, and at long last, I have proven my superiority. The others all became powerful Heartless, to be sure. But only Xehanort and I have retained our Human forms and memories. Even though Xehahort, who is still using the name Ansem, might be Human shaped, he lacks a solid form, almost like a ghost. I'm not sure why I retained so much more of myself than all the others. Was it my willingness to embrace the Darkness? Or my more complete and thorough understanding? This may merit further research..._

_Reading over that again, it is strange. I remember being so totally enamored with Xehanort that I used his stolen name even in my journal. However, when I recall those feelings, they just don't seem to resonate for me any more. It is a small price to pay to give up the shame and fear that used to rule me. I have never felt this raw joy before, not caring what other people think, how they might react._

_I have managed to bring Even and Braig's Heartless under my control. It feels so incredible to bend them to my will, to make them follow my orders. I am still looking for Dilan's Heartless, which will be my greatest prize._

_**

* * *

Nelera's Journal, Page 151**_

_Xemnas; that's Xehanort's Nobody; has formed a little club. He has all of our Nobodies following him, plus he seems to have found a few others. They all still look Human, but they definitely aren't. Their personalities are colder, sharper. Except Vexen; who is no different than Even was. This Organization is dangerous; I'll have to avoid them for now._

_The journal pages I have written since becoming a Heartless are less effective in controlling my new brethren. I don't know why, but it takes two or three of these sheets to control most Heartless, where one that was penned before I changed suffices. Despite all my new powers, it turns out there are limits to this existence. And I have few pages left that I am willing to sacrifice to control the lesser Heartless while I am away..._

_That gives me an idea. Though I have not seen her yet, I have heard of "Larxene", my Nobody. If I can find her, we might be reconstituted. We would again be a full being, Body, Heart, and Soul, but with the Darkness of a Heartless and the Nothing of a Nobody on top of that. I can only begin to imagine the power that might grant me. I would finally, truly, be able to surpass Xehanort._

* * *

"What are you drawing this time?" a sarcastic voice emerged from behind her, but Naminé did not react. She finished the outlines of Sora's face, before setting down her notepad, and looking up at him.

"Is there something I can do for you, Axel?" the blonde girl said bitterly.

"What's with the cold shoulder?" he feigned hurt, "I thought we were friends."

She frowned slightly, wearing a dubious expression. Axel was surprised when her disapproval brought up a stinging sensation, almost as if he could actually feel again. Almost like it had been around _him_…

"Well, at least we have similar goals," he conceded, "You want to see Sora and Roxas again, and I want to see Roxas again. Though I suppose Sora would do. The point is, neither of us will get what we want, if you don't help me."

"What do you mean?" she looked worried, even as she demanded an explanation.

"Xemnas has found a new plaything," the fire user answered, "And if he decides that she is more useful, he will discard his current tool, Sora."

"And?" Naminé prompted quickly.

"If you help me, we can protect Sora's usefulness. If not…" he set the hook, and reeled her in by asking, "Can I count on you?"

She nodded apprehensively, and Axel nodded, thinking he could almost feel the glow of smug satisfaction.

* * *

"Kairi, are you OK," Selphie asked quietly. After leaving Star Command, the teens had eaten a brief dinner, before going to bed. When the younger girl had awakened, the Keyblade user was already gone. Selphie had met up with Kairi in the galley and carefully observed her friend's mood. But she could not tell how the Princess of Heart was feeling, so she decided to be direct.

"Yes," Kairi said resolutely and without hesitation, "We were too late for Mira, even before we got there. Besides, like you told me, this is Nelera's fault, not mine."

"We're here," Gadget declared, then she paused with a confused frown, "Except we can't be here."

"What does that mean?" Selphie mirrored the Mouse girl's expression, and both of the Humans moved in closer.

"The computer says we're at Balamb Garden," the engineer explained, "But it also says Balamb Garden disappeared over eleven years ago."

_

* * *

"Kairi, I need you to wait here for a minute, OK?" her grandfather requested firmly._

_"But I wanna see Grampa Ansem," the toddler whined._

_"You can, but there is something I need to discuss with him first," the librarian assured her._

_"Like what?" the curious girl asked._

_"Just boring grown-up stuff."_

_"OK, I'll wait here."_

_"Good girl," the elder man slipped into the office, but failed to pull the door tight._

_"Well met, old friend," a deeper voice greeted the newcomer, "It has been a while. Is Kairi with you?"_

_"She is," the girl's paternal grandfather nodded, "But I wanted to ask you something first."_

_"Of course," Ansem agreed openly, "What can I do for you?"_

_"I was hoping you could give me an update on the Balamb Garden situation."_

_"What 'Balamb Garden situation'?" the ruler of Radiant Garden sounded confused._

_"You don't know?" the bookkeeper's voice was full of concern, "I gave the message to Xehanort six days ago."_

_Ansem shook his head._

_"Balamb Garden has gone missing from the heavens," the librarian's tone contained an edge of hysteria, "Our closest neighbor, and it is just gone."_

_Ansem pushed his chair back quickly, and strode towards the other exit to his study._

_"Ansem, where are you going?"_

_"Please, give Kairi my apologies," the scientist said hastily, "But it appears I need to speak with my apprentices, immediately."_

* * *

"Maybe it came back when Sora and the King did that thing with the door?" Selphie suggested, before noticing her friend was swaying, with her eyes closed.

"Kairi, what is it?" Gadget asked anxiously.

"I was just remembering," the Human said softly, her face slightly pale, "I once overheard my grandfathers talking about Balamb Garden vanishing."

"Do you think we should check it out?" Selphie prompted.

"Yes, definitely," the princess closed her eyes as she nodded firmly.


	14. Chapter 13

Balamb Garden was at war. Though the technology was different from that of Star Command, the situation inside was much the same. Soldiers of all different ages and genders fought against the far more numerous pockets of Heartless. But unlike the Space Rangers, the warriors here used swords and axes instead of lasers, and were all Human, at least so far as Kairi and Selphie could see.

The two girls charged in, saving a boy a few years younger than them. Though he wielded his lance skillfully, the enemies had been too numerous for him. Kairi knocked a Soldier Heartless into the air with Gummadoon, and followed after it, crushing it with two more blows, and then destroying a Wizard Heartless on her way down. Selphie bashed her way past a Shadow, and landed next to the tween, incanting, "Aero!"

The wind spell blasted the Heartless back, putting two more in range for Kairi to quickly finish. Then she pointed her Keyblade at an incoming Gargoyle, and chanted, "Gravity."

The purple-black sphere formed under the Heartless, and slammed it to the floor. While it was down, the nunchaku user slammed her weapon into its neck, finishing it.

"Thank you," the boy said gratefully, slicing though the last Soldier, "But who are you?"

"Reinforcements?" Selphie did not sound convinced by her own excuse, and the younger warrior frowned. Before he could say anything else, a beautiful woman strode over. She had long, blonde hair , piercing blue-green eyes, and was in her mid-twenties. She wore a light orange jacket with burgundy sleeves, and cut outs around her shoulders, open in the front to show her navel. She had a matching skirt with black leggings underneath and a pair of belts, one straight and one at an angle. She carried a six-foot long chain whip

"Ward, return to your group," she ordered firmly, then addressed the newcomers, "You two come with me."

She led them deeper into the structure, pausing occasionally to fight groups of the Heartless, carefully observing the travelers as they fought. After the third set of Darkness born creatures fell, Selphie positioned herself in front of their guide before she could begin moving again.

"Hold on," the yellow-clad teen exclaimed, "We don't mind helping out with the Heartless, but we're not going any further until you tell us who you are, and what you want with us."

"She is a Keyblade user, and the Heartless appear intent in capturing our princess, so I am taking you to protect her," the local reported. The two teens exchanged worried glances.

"As for my name, is it not common courtesy to introduce yourself before asking someone else's name?"

Kairi could not help but smile slightly, recalling their conversation with Ron and Kim. Selphie frowned slightly at her own misstep.

"I'm Selphie Tilmitt," she answered, "and this is Kairi. And you are?"

"Quistis Trepe, SeeD rank; pleased to make your acquaintance," the blonde woman offered tersely, "Now can we get moving?"

"I didn't know Balamb Garden had royalty," Kairi started carefully.

"It's not an actual title," Quistis told them with a look of fond reminiscence, "It started off as a way to make fun of how _he_ treated her, but over time it became a term of endearment and respect."

She reached the central elevator, and entered her code to unlock it. The car appeared a second later, and after her two guests were inside, the local warrior punched in a second code. The elevator began to rapidly ascend.

"What do you know?" Quistis suddenly asked them pointedly.

"That's a pretty broad question," Selphie shot back.

"I saw your reactions when I said the Heartless were after Rinoa," the SeeD refused to be diverted, "You know something."

"First, tell us why you think they are after Rinoa," Kairi requested softly.

"Rinoa is a non-combatant," Quistis explained, "So when the attacks first started, we sent her to the cafeteria with the younger students. And that was where the Heartless focused. After the second attack we had her working in the infirmary, and the Heartless went there. With each attack, no matter where we hide her, that is were the Heartless go."

"Why is a non-combatant here?" Selphie asked.

"A number of reasons," Quistis seemed annoyed by the question, but answered it anyway, "Mostly she is waiting for _him_."

"Are you sure it is her?" the Keyblade user suggested, "Was there anyone else who was with her at every location?"

"No, after we started to suspect she was the target, she has been mostly alone with SeeD rank guards," the blonde explained, "And the guards are on a rotation."

"Do you know why these things want Rinoa?" Quistis asked again, this time more nervously. Before the teens could answer, the elevator stopped, and the doors opened. They exited into a large, well-appointed office. There were two people in the room, a young man and woman, both around Quistis's age. The man was shorter than either of the women; or would have been, if not for the six inch plume in the front of his hair. He had a tribal tattoo on his left cheek, and wore a simple red and black jacket,

and blue jeans.

Rinoa Heartilly was a few inches shorter then Quistis. She had dark brown, nearly black hair, trailing to the middle of her back. Her gentle, intelligent, brown eyes brightened when she saw Quistis, and then grew curious as they fell on the younger women. She wore a black halter top and shorts, with a deep blue skirt and a lighter blue cover that was a hybrid of a coat and a cape.

"Quistis, what's up?" the young man asked.

"Reinforcements, Zell," she explained, catching Selphie's eye.

"These kids?" he sounded dubious, "Who are they?"

Kairi held out her hand, and Zell stumbled back in surprise as her Keyblade appeared. He looked at the weapon in awe, and nodded his understanding.

"I am Rinoa Heartilly," the woman in blue stepped out from behind the desk to greet them, "It is an honor to meet a chosen user of the Keyblade."

"I am Kairi, and this is my friend Selphie."

"On top of that, they know something about these attacks," Quistis informed her friends, while looking pointedly at the younger women, "Which they were just about to tell me when we arrived."

Kairi and Selphie quickly laid out what they new about Nelera and her goal.

"… and she has these scanner things to find the Adamant Hearts," the nunchaku user concluded, "Which is probably why they can find Rinoa, no matter where you hide her."

"But why does she want these Adamant Hearts?" Quistis asked.

"We don't know that," Kairi shook her head slightly with the statement.

"Our turn," Selphie said suddenly, drawing the attention of her four companions, "So this place just up and vanished for like ten years. What happened?"

Zell shuddered at the query, and Rinoa glanced at Quistis, who shrugged back.

"We don't know," the female SeeD answered, "Back then, we were suddenly attacked by the Heartless. In the middle of the battle, suddenly everything went black. Not like the power went out, but the total absence of light anywhere. When we could see again, everything had changed. The Heartless were gone, and everyone had aged five years. We had no memories of the lost time, but we knew things we had not known before, like we continued to live our lives the whole time. But even stranger, when we checked the stars, and linked with Star Command's time beacon, we found we had been gone for ten years, not five."

"You didn't notice anything else?" Kairi prodded gently.

"There was one thing," Zell said softly.

"_He_ was missing," Quistis said.

"_He_ again... He who?" Selphie demanded, exasperated. Both SeeDs looked at their charge.

"Squall Leonhart," Rinoa smiled sadly, "The man I love."

"When we woke up, Squall was just gone," Zell added. Kairi pursed her lips, their words sparking memories of the events a year prior.

"Do you know something?" Rinoa asked when she noticed the younger woman's expression. There was a hint of desperation in her voice. The Keyblade user nodded slowly.

"When I was in Hollow Bastion last year, one of the people I met was a man named Leon," she said, "Except Yuffie kept calling him 'Squall', and he insisted he had abandoned that name. Aerith told me the Leon had once failed to protect someone close to him, and so when Hollow Bastion fell, he blamed himself and gave up his name."

"What does he look like?" Quistis asked hopefully.

"Tall, slender, with medium brown hair, and piercing eyes," Kairi answered, "He has a diagonal scar across the bridge of his nose, between his eyes. And if it helps, he uses a weapon that is like a revolver, but with a single edged sword instead of a barrel."

"Squall... Leon..." Rinoa nodded, then asked quietly, "How is he?"

"I didn't get to know him that well," the Keyblade user offered cautiously, "But I think the best way to say it is the he is 'surviving'. He doesn't seem depressed, but he isn't happy, either."

"That's how he always was," Zell chuckled, relieved, "Squall was never happy."

"Yes, he was," Quistis countered softly, watching Rinoa with concern. But, like Zell, the other woman looked satisfied.

"Thank you," she told the travelers, and Kairi smiled back. Selphie looked at Zell oddly. During the conversation, the twenty-something warrior had drawn closer and was staring at the young woman intently.

"What's the matter? Captivated by my beauty?" the nunchaku user asked directly, posing slightly.

"Maybe in another five years," he snorted, "I thought I knew you from somewhere, but I guess it's just my imagination."

"Rinoa, do you have the elements I asked you to hold on to?" Quistis ignored their comedy routine. The 'princess' nodded, and retrieved a small metal case from the desk.

"I noticed on the way here that all of your spells are the basic level," the blonde woman told Kairi, opening the case, "So I want you to have these. Call them an advance reward, and a way to make the fight easier."

"What fight?" Selphie asked. Quistis pointed behind them, and the elevator light was flashing red. With an increased urgency, Kairi turned her attention to the box, which contained two Cure, one Thunder, and one Aero crystal. She took one of the Cure spells, and turned to Selphie.

"You take the others," the Princess of Heart urged her teammate.

"Are you sure?"

"I still have three spells that you don't," Kairi explained, "And you seem to have a talent for wind and lightning magic."

"OK," Selphie didn't hesitate any further, and as she took the three gems stated, "Thundara, Aerora, Cura. Nice."

"Get ready," Quistis advised, as a grinding noise echoed into the room from behind the sealed door to the lift. Selphie shifted her oversized nunchaku off her shoulder. Kairi summoned the Keyblade, and, looking at the barrier thoughtfully, switch Gummadoon out for Innocent Snowfall. Quistis shook out her whip, and Zell cinched his gloves. Rinoa retreated behind the desk, retrieved her boomerang-like weapon and close her eyes briefly to focus her power.

The scraping stopped, and a second later, a loud ringing filled the room, as the armored barrier distended inwards with the outline of a large, spiked ball. The room shook slightly as the barricade was struck again, distorting further.

"Protecaja," Rinoa intoned, as the third blow hurtled the two pieces of the broken door into the room. Selphie cringed slightly as the giant hunk of metal struck her, but thanks to the spell, she was not injured or even budged. The steel tumbled past them crashing into the reinforced window, cracking it slightly. The other piece of the door barely missed Quistis, who was well aware of Rinoa's mystical prowess and did not even flinch. The Morning Star Heartless spun into the room through the now open elevator doors. Behind it, the Humans could see the dim outlines of both Wizards and Virgo Fighters.

"Blizzard," Kairi fired her spell quickly at the portal, trying to catch as many Heartless as she could in the cone of ice, before they could spread out into the room. Unfortunately, the Morning Star's bulk absorbed most of the spell, and only a few snowflakes struck one of the Virgo Fighters behind it. The feminine fighter Heartless froze solid and shattered, but the armored, spiked, spinning monstrosity began to rotate towards them.

"Firaga," Quistis launched a larger sphere of flame at the lead monster's head, knocking it off balance. Zell raced forward, blocking its extended arm with his wrists and Rinoa's spell, halting the Morning Star completely. Then he slammed his fist into it, knocking it back into one of the Wizards. The spellcasting Heartless disintegrated instantly.

"Hastega," Rinoa chanted next, still behind the partial cover of the desk. Selphie grinned triumphantly, and raced forward at double her normal speed, crushing two Virgo Fighters out of existence before they could raise their quarterstaves to defend. Lightning fell around Quistis and Zell as two of the Wizards raised their wands in unison.

"Zell, deal with the magic users," the blonde woman instructed, "Selphie, stay on the melee fighters. Kairi, help me finish the big one. Rinoa, can we get some protection from magic?"

"Shellga," the sorceress was already stating. One of the Wizards aimed a Fira spell at Kairi, but the Keyblade user barely notice it. She jumped up, and nearly flew past her target due to the boost to her movement rate. But the princess spun back around in mid-air, making it look like she had intended to attack the Morning Star from behind the entire time. She smacked Innocent Snowfall into the back of its helmet four times in rapid succession, and finished with another "Blizzard!"

Quistis wrapped her chain around the creature's arm, leveraging Kairi's impacts to pull the Heartless onto its side. It started to push itself back up, even as the SeeD incanted, "Thundaga", also destroying a Virgo Fighter that was retreating from Selphie's whirlwind onslaught. The Morning Star ignored the damage, ponderously returning to its feet.

Zell launched himself into the air, driving his right hand into the chest of the first Wizard, destroying it instantly. The fist fighter looked mildly surprised by how successful his attack was. He pushed off the disintegrating spellcaster, backhanding a second Heartless in its 'face'. It was knocked away, but not destroyed. Zell didn't have the momentum to follow it, but he twisted back and hammered both hands on the conical hat of a third monster. This one broke apart as well, and the male SeeD charted his course to eliminate his remaining three targets.

Selphie's high-tech 'chucks broke through a Virgo Fighter's staff and the inky body behind it, and then she caught the moving arm of her weapon and sent out the other one tearing through two more of the melee Heartless. Thanks to the enchantments, her already swift style was amplified and she need not worry about incidental hits. One fighter jabbed its pole at her, but the young woman slid around it easily, looped the chain of her weapon around the staff, and flipped the Heartless into one of its comrades. Two of the remaining fighters dropped back, regrouping. But the nunchaku user followed them closely, and struck before they could tag team her.

The gyroscopic Heartless finished standing, and Kairi darted in before it could attack. She stabbed her Keyblade into the joint between its arm and body, and shouted "Blizzard!"

The ice spread all over its side, and the Heartless stumbled unsteadily. Both of the women attacking the Heartless swung their weapon at the brittle point, shattering the armor. The Heartless tried to start its rotating attack, but its form was already beginning to collapse. A slip of paper tumbled free as its helmet broke apart.

"Very nice," a mocking voice called out from the doorway, accompanied by slow clapping. The warriors all turned to see Nelera leaning against the twisted frame of the elevator.

"I guess that means it's my turn," the Human appearing, self-proclaimed Heartless woman extended her arms, flashing the eight daggers in her hands, "But first... Relámpago!"

She raised her left hand, and a wave of lightning washed over them. The spell created only a light tingling, and Zell charged forward with a smug grin. But the four women noticed his movements had returned to normal. Once he was in range, Nelera swung out her arm, connecting her knuckles with his jaw. Zell looked surprised for an instant, before he rocketed away. He struck the support between two of the windows, and dropped to the floor with a hollow groan. Rinoa looked frightened for her friend, but was unable to move as Nelera's hungry gaze settled on her.

"There you are, Heart of Sapphire," the thief purred.

"Stay away from her," Quistis commanded.

"I would like to oblige," Nelera nodded sarcastically, "But your new friends stopped me from taking the Heart of Granite, so I had to go with my backup plan."

"And just what is your plan?" Selphie asked with false innocence, but the scientist refused to be tricked.

"My plans are my business," she said darkly, "and it would be far safer for you to stay out of them."

"That's not going to happen," Kairi insisted, and Selphie nodded.

"I thought not," Nelera shrugged broadly, with an exasperated sigh, "Raijin."

A bolt of lightning shot from her daggers towards Kairi's head. As the princess of Radiant Garden blocked the attack, the thief tried to dart past them to reach her target. But both a nunchaku and a chain whip slashed out in her path, and Nelera was forced to stop short.

"Do you really think you can put that thing on her chest with us here?" Selphie growled, adding, "Aerora."

The winds swept the scientist back, but did not knock her down or appear to do any damage beyond mussing her hair. Still, Nelera glared at the girl, swiping at Selphie with her right hand. A dart of electricity left each of her four knives, but Selphie blocked them with her whirling weapon.

"Shellga," Rinoa re-established their protection against magic. Quistis lashed out with her chain at their opponent's neck. As Nelera caught the whip with her daggers, the heroic blonde raised her other hand, and chanted, "Firaga."

The fireball knocked Nelera back, to where Kairi was waiting. The princess brought her key up towards the thief's back, but Nelera back-flipped over it. The Keyblade reversed direction, and the haft met with the Heartless woman's stomach. The thief accepted the blow, and slashed her knives across Kairi's chest. They carved precise furrows through the teen's dress, and the flesh underneath.

"Curaja," Rinoa hit Kairi with a restorative spell, removing the damage to both skin and cloth. The bearer of the Sapphire Heart followed the healing with, "Protecaja."

Nelera's follow up strike bounced of the Keyblade user's skin, and the scientist snarled as she slid backwards. Kairi and Selphie closed ranks, while Quistis took advantage of Nelera's focus on Kairi to move Zell closer to Rinoa, so the healer could work her magic on him. The whip wielder rejoined her new allies, while the Sorceress knelt over the male SeeD.

Nelera raised her hands again, but the other women recognized the gesture from earlier.

"Gravity."

"Firaga."

The dark spell pulled Nelera's hands out of position before she could remove their enchantments, and the fire spell hit her square in the chest.

"Three and a half on one is hardly fair," Nelera groused. She straightened up, and flipped out her hair. As she did, six floating, spherical Heartless materialized around her. They resembled Darkballs, except these Heartless were larger, and were red with dark grey highlights. The reinforcements split off, two heading towards each of the front line fighters. Three of the round creatures moved in quickly, while the other three advanced more cautiously.

Quistis was more reserved with the new enemies, but neither Selphie nor Kairi waited, both charged the closer Heartless, swinging. The hovering monsters were knocked back by the attacks, and each girl followed her opponent. Selphie succeeded in finishing her opponent first, but as the orb Heartless broke apart, five Shadows spilled out onto the floor, and began to immediately attack the nunchaku user. Kairi noticed the outcome too late to slow her final strike, and another group of small ink spots entered the fray.

Nelera bit her tongue, almost literally. She wanted very much to gloat about the success of her new breed of Heartless, but she had backed away after the initial summoning. Now that her Carrier Bubbles had the Human's attention, she began to slide around the border of the room.

"What do we do now?" Selphie groaned, smashing her second Shadow, while sidestepping the third and blocking the fourth, "If we burst the rest of these balloons, we'll be up to our armpits in Shadows."

"Maybe magic will do better?" Kairi suggested, stabbing into the second to last of the tiny monsters she had released. Quistis gently forced back the sphere Heartless that suddenly charged her.

"Fira," the female SeeD intoned cautiously, and Kairi targeted her remaining enemy with, "Blizzard."

The Carrier that Kairi hit shank slightly, but the one impacted by the magic flames expanded drastically. It began to shudder, and then exploded, spewing out eight Shadows.

"Fire is out," Selphie declared, then asked, "What about Thunder?"

"It could be dangerous around..." the Princess of Heart trailed off, realizing their true enemy was no longer directing her forces from the entrance to the office. Casting about, her eyes widened in terror when she saw the Heartless woman standing behind Rinoa, now holding the Heart Extractor. Kairi started to turn towards the desk, but it was already too late.

"Round Two," Zell shouted, surging up from the ground, fist first. Rinoa dove forward, and rolled into a kneeling position, facing her attacker. The scientist was caught off guard by the newly restored SeeD, and Zell's shoulder collided with her arm, even as the flexible thief leaned back just far enough to avoid the uppercut to her chin. But the accidental contact was more successful than the attack would have been. The young man jarred the cylinder from her hand, and it flew away from her in a shallow arc. It hit the carpeted floor, and rolled to a stop two steps away from Kairi.

Nelera pushed Zell away, and turned to grab her machine. Her blue eyes filled with horror when she saw her nemesis so close to the precious machine. At the same time, Kairi's fear faded into a gentle smile. The normally graceful Nelera almost tripped over her own feet in her haste, but she was too far away. The Keyblade wielder lifted her weapon, and jammed it into the extractor, shattering the glass bottle and smashing the machinery on top.

"Damn it, you little wretch," Nelera screamed at her, "I haven't even finished replicating a replacement for the Heart of Granite extractor yet."

She casually slid out of the way of Zell's next attack, while continuing to glare the young woman.

"I can't believe I used to think you were cute," Nelera told Kairi, "You have the same annoying, holier-than-thou attitude your grandfather had, right up to the point we banished him to the void."

The Human Heartless snapped her fingers, and the other monsters all disappeared.

"Where did they go?" Quistis froze in the midst of casting a spell.

"She's running," Kairi said, "Just like in the Big Apple."

"No point in fighting a battle, when you cannot achieve your goal," Nelera shrugged.

"But what are you going to do now, Princess?" the villain taunted as she opened the portal, "Can you guard Rinoa and Goliath both? You can't be sure who I will go after next. And will you be able to protect either of them, when I remove the Heartless from St Canard, Middleton, Dunwyn, and Star Command to bolster my forces?"

She vanished with the barb, leaving Kairi with a worried expression.

"Is everyone alright?' Rinoa moved out from behind the desk to see if her guardians were injured. As she treated some claw marks on Quistis's leg, Selphie moved in closer to Kairi.

"Don't listen to her," the peppy teen advised softly, "neither these guys nor Goliath's clan are going to go down that easy. And we still have to find where Nelera is keeping the other Adamant Hearts, right? So if we can do that, we might be able to stop her before she can attack again."

Kairi nodded, matching her friend's determination.

"It sounds like we will have a reprieve, if a short one," Quistis approached them, "Will you stay?"

"Only until we open the path to the next world," Kairi shook her head, "We are actually searching for our own missing friends. Fighting Nelera is something that we just stumbled into."

"So, we'll probably be leaving in the next few minutes," Selphie added, slipping the journal page into her pocket without reading it. Kairi frowned curiously at her companion, as did their older allies.

"What do you mean?" the Keyblade user asked.

"That's the pattern, right," Selphie waved her hand demonstratively, "We beat up Nelera or her lieutenant, and then something nearby starts to glow, making the new connection. What do you think it will be? Maybe Quistis's weapon, or Rinoa's?"

Kairi glanced at the SeeDs and the the Sorceress, and smiled indulgently.

"In that case, I better ask you now," Rinoa said nervously. She returned to the desk, and removed two items from the top drawer. Though she recognized a letter, Kairi could not see the other item, as the faux princess approached her.

"When we realized Squall was gone, I wrote this letter to him," the gentle woman said shyly. She extended the missive, and Selphie looked expectant, but nothing happened.

"I didn't know where to send it, or even how," Rinoa continued, "But if you have met him before, you might meet him again. If you do, can you give him this?"

Kairi took the letter with a firm nod. Again, Selphie tensed up, but again, nothing occurred.

"And to thank you and help you, I would like you to have this," Rinoa opened her other hand, and a small white crystal nested within. Kairi recognized it as a spell.

"How are you holding it like that?" the teen was amazed, "Shouldn't it absorb into you?"

"One of the benefits of being a Sorceress," the blue clad young woman smiled more broadly.

"Thank you," Kairi reached for the element, but before her fingers touched, the gem began to glow, and lifted into the air. The Keyblade reappeared in her hand, and the beam from the weapon to the spell inscribe a Keyhole though the window.

"See?" Selphie proclaimed triumphantly. Kairi caught the crystal as it descended, and it quickly vanished into her skin.

"Holy," she said with a touch of wonder.

"I guess that means you're leaving," Zell stated evenly, and Kairi nodded.

"I'll escort you out," Quistis said.

"Thank you for your help," Rinoa said as she embraced each of the younger women briefly.

"So who do you think we'll find next?" Selphie asked as they moved to the unblocked but still working elevator, "The Ruby Heart, or maybe the Diamond Heart?"

Kairi sighed in mock exasperation, knowing that Selphie was forcing herself to act that way, to keep her and Gadget's spirits up.

"We'll see when we get there," she answered taking the nunchaku wielder's arm.


	15. Chapter 14

_**Nelera's Journal, Page 179**_

_Larxene is dead. Or whatever happens to Nobodies when they force a Keyblade user to beat them back into nonexistence. This punk Sora became embroiled in the Organization's plans, but was able to turn the tables on his captors. Part of me says I can't really blame him, but the rest of me wants his head._

_But I have been going through my diaries again, looking for more pages I can use, and I have a new idea. If I can gather enough of the Adamant Hearts, I will be able to restore Larxene, and have another chance at merging with her. By my estimates, it should take five of the Adamant Hearts to bring back my Nobody. And in that respect, I am in luck. Though I still have not found the Ruby or Marble Hearts, I have found six of the Hearts, Copper, Wood, Iron, Granite, and Sapphire, in a section of space that is not under the influence of Xemnas._

_I am putting together plans now to acquire the Hearts. I have designed a machine to extract them, and have been researching thugs and villains on each world. I plan to use local help to supplement my Heartless, and to perform any tasks my brethren do not have the wisdom to perform. It will take a few months to build and test the extractors, but once that is done, this should move fairly quickly._

* * *

"Armor integrity at forty five percent and holding," Gadget reported with a sigh of relief. The ship had just finished blasting its way through a dense cloud of Heartless attack vessels.

"I'm redirecting energy from the weapons to repair the damage," the engineer reported, "But you two should stay here, just in case..."

The Mouse was cut off by a buzzer accompanied by a bright flashing light on the instrument panel.

"What is it?" Selphie asked, "Trouble?"

"No, an incoming long range communication," the tiny blonde answered, her voice curious. She climbed over to the flashing light, and after adjusting the lever next to it, pressed the button. The view screen changed instantly, showing a very close up view of three of Star Command's LGMs.

"Hello," they chimed in atonal harmony.

"Hi, guys," Gadget answered, amused, "What's up?"

"We made something," the alien on the right answered.

"By accident," added the LGM on the left.

"We think it's for Kairi," the middle researcher finished their shared thought.

"For me?" the princess was surprised, "Why do you think that?"

"The energy signature matches," the left LGM answered.

"And it his this little chain and clip," the right side one continued. The middle one held up a Keychain. It was in the shape of the crown medallion Sora always wore, but was smaller and made of a translucent white crystal. The chain part was a length of flexible cord, but apparently made of a silvery metal. The LGM moved the Keychain off screen.

"Where did that come from?" Gadget prompted.

"An experiment," they chanted in unison.

"Do you want it?" the center alien queried.

"Yes, thank you," Kairi felt drawn to the item.

"But we can't really afford to turn around and go get it," Selphie reminded her companions.

"No need," the outer two LGMs countered, and the scientist holding the Keychain tottered away. A few seconds later, the Keychain appeared on an odd little scanner that neither Human had seen Gadget use before. Kairi stepped over and collected the talisman. She could feel the power thrumming through it, and brought forth her Keyblade, currently in the form of Innocent Snowfall. She swapped out the Keychains, and for a brief moment, the cockpit was flooded with brilliant light.

"Radiant Weapon," the Princess of Heart said in awe, looking at the new Keyblade. The hilt and hand-guard were silver, and the guard was in shape of two wings positioned as a heart. The shaft and tines of Keyblade appeared to be made of solid, white light. The haft was narrow and long, and the tines were a simple trapezoid with two cut-outs, one of a heart, the other of the king's seal.

Kairi swung Radiant Weapon experimentally, and was impressed by its heft. The Keyblade hummed lightly as it passed through the air.

* * *

The ship slowed as it approached the new world. It was a broke, hollow city, as if chunks of it had been ripped away, and the remains had been left to decay. Gadget started the computer searching for the name of the world, but Kairi identified it first.

"That's Traverse Town," Kairi said with horrified awe, "Or, it used to be. What happened?"

"Much of Traverse Town was built of the parts of other worlds that were taken by the Heartless," Gadget explained, "And when Sora and the King put the worlds back, those parts of Traverse Town went back. I guess this is what's left of the original world, and what was brought here in other ways."

"Why are we here?" Selphie asked, "What does Nelera want here?

"The Adamant Hearts are here," Kairi said, her eyes closed. The she looked up at her friend, stating, "Her base is here."

"It is the perfect place,"Gadget agreed.

"Then what are we waiting for?" the nunchaku wielder grinned triumphantly.


	16. Chapter 15

Selphie tensed as the Round Body drew in its stomach for its belly bash. As it surged forward, the agile teen flipped over the top of the Heartless. The monster plummeted into the hole in the street behind where the young woman had stood.

"I can't tell if these gaps are making things harder or easier," the nunchaku user complained, smashing a Powerwild as she landed, "Sure most of the Heartless are stupid enough to jump in, but we also have to be more careful."

Kairi nodded, skipping past a six-inch wide abyss to eliminate a Soldier, and then the Neoshadow behind it. With the small fry destroyed, the girls focused on the Defender. Selphie moved around front, giving it a focus for its shield, and blocking the ice shard it shot at her. The Princess of Heart closed in from behind and slammed Radiant Weapon into the weak armor around the Heartless's neck. The creature fell apart instantly, it's captive Heart floating into the sky. With all of the Heartless on the promenade cleared, the younger woman breathed a sigh of relief, and walked over to her friend.

"You've been here before, right?" she asked the Keyblade user, and the other girl nodded, "So where do you think she is?"

"Down," Kairi felt the pulse of the Hearts, and considered it, "There is an underground lake with a small island in the middle. Merlin the Magician used to have a house there. I think that is where Nelera is."

* * *

The cavern and lake were as the Princess of Heart remembered, but the island in the middle was unrecognizable. The small, cluttered yet safe hut was gone, or at least not visible. Instead, a cold brick and metal structure dominated a much larger part of the island. In addition, a heavy bridge had been built to connect the lab to the shore. They hurried across the path, mildly concerned that they were entirely in the open, but also all alone. As they stepped off the bridge, a section of the brick slid aside with a rocky scraping. Both girls tensed, but the expected barrage of Heartless never emerged.

"Looks like we're being invited in," Selphie deadpanned.

"It would be rude not to take her up on her offer," Kairi noted. Clenching their weapons tightly, they walked forward into the building.

Nelera's lab was brightly lit, and mostly open except for one large table in the middle of the vast room. The east and west walls were dominated by advanced equipment, while the south wall, opposite the entrance, was floor to ceiling bookcases. The blonde Heartless woman stood by a smaller workbench on the eastern wall.

"And here I thought we were enemies, Princess Kairi," Nelera addressed the princess, without looking up from her work, "But you were nice enough to bring a present when you came to visit me."

"What do you mean?" the Keyblade user asked carefully. Nelera indicated the shelf above the table. On it rested eleven identical devices, the Heart Finders they had seen on the other worlds. The fourth one was flashing brightly.

"The Heart of Ruby, of course," the scientist lifted her head to look at them with a smirk, "Although, if I had carried all of the locators with me, we could have brought this to an end much sooner. But that's my fault; I knew sidekicks often had the Adamant Hearts, but I never thought to check yours..."

"Me?" Selphie asked.

"You," Nelera confirmed. She suddenly whipped around, lifting a gun. Before Kairi or Selphie could react, the Heartless woman pulled the trigger. A beam of white energy erupted from the pistol, striking the nunchaku wielder in the chest. The teen fell back slowly, as if the beam was lifting her up. An instant later, a deep, red, crystalline Heart appeared above her chest, and her body dropped away. The light from the beam enveloped the Heart of Ruby, and pulled it back towards Nelera.

"NO!" Kairi screamed, and pointing her Keyblade at the thief rapidly incanted, "Gravity! Fire!"

The dark energy spell deflected Nelera's hand breaking off the beam, and the flames melted the weapon into slag. The scientist discarded the weapon, her glove smoldering. Kairi dove forward, catching Selphie's Heart. She folded it into her arms, instinctively sending out her her own light to keep the Darkness away from her friend's Heart. She scampered back over to Selphie's prone form, and set the Heart on her partner's chest. She tried to remember how she felt when she had embraced the Shadow that had been Sora, and drawing on those memories, pressed down gently. The Ruby Heart pulsed and then slowly faded back into its owner. Her Heart returned, Selphie suddenly took a deep breath, and her eyes stopped fluttering wildly. But they did not open, nor did the younger woman move further.

"You haven't really accomplished anything," Nelera said mockingly, as the Keyblade mistress regained her feet, "That gun was only a prototype, and I still have the original components I acquired from Drakken, Xanatos, and Star Command, so it will be easy to make another. After I have the Heart of Ruby, I think I'll go back and take the Hearts of Granite and Sapphire as well."

"Why?" Kairi asked, confusion warring with anger in her voice, "You only need five to bring back Larxene, right?"

"If my calculations are correct," the blonde nodded slyly, "But seven would be much safer. Besides, I'm vindictive; I want to hurt your other friends, too."

"I won't let you," the teen proclaimed, summoning Radiant Weapon back to her hand.

"I didn't figure you would let me put the Extractor on your friend's chest," Nelera snarled slightly, her amusement fading, "but I don't intend on letting you interfere any more. So I will finish you off, and then take the Heart of Ruby."

Kairi looked at her unconscious friend, and met Nelera's eyes with an adamant expression of her own.

* * *

"Naminé."

The young woman tensed up as he called her name. She turned to look at Axel.

"It's time," he said as gently as he could, not certain she wouldn't revolt if he pushed her too hard.

The blonde artist nodded sadly.

* * *

"Raijin," Nelera shouted, gesturing at Kairi with her daggers. The princess caught the lighting bolt on her Keyblade, deflecting it into the wall. The teen charged forward, knocking aside a set of small thunder darts, until she was on top of Nelera. Sparks flew where dagger met key, and the scientist's eyes widened as she was moved back. Kairi pushed hard, breaking the stalemate. Radiant Weapon slashed into Nelera's side, and then stabbed out into her stomach.

"You're getting better," Nelera noted, without fear, "Stronger, too. But it's not enough. Blitzen."

Lightning surrounded her body, and she body slammed her Human foe. Kairi was bowled over and stunned by the voltage. She hastily pulled herself up, and pointed the Keyblade in the general direction of the Heart thief, chanting, "Blizzard."

The wide area of the spell caught Nelera despite the poor aim, and gave Kairi time to drink an elixir. She returned fully to her feet, firing off a more carefully directed Blizzard before darting in again. The Heartless woman's electric aura had faded by the time the Keyblade user reached her, and Kairi landed three quick blows to her opponent's head, chest, and left wrist. The last blow force Nelera to drop the daggers in her left hand.

"Eclair," Nelera shouted, dragging her right hand between them. Kairi had to jump back to avoid the curtain of energy the descended between them. With the barrier keeping the brunette at bay, the blonde retrieved her disarmed weapons, and faced the girl with a glare.

"Raijin," she said again, sending another horizontal beam through the wall after the teen. But Kairi blocked it easily.

"Fire," Kairi sent an orb of flames outward, but it hit the barrier and stopped. Nelera grinned smugly at the wasted power. Kairi smiled slightly, and intoned, "Gravity."

The black orb appeared under Nelera, and the thief was forced to hop aside to avoid being crushed. She went back to glowering at Kairi for a moment, but then shrugged.

"Not bad, considering the snot-nose brat who used to follow her grandfathers around all the time," she conceded, "Try this; Shan!"

Nelera jabbed her daggers into the ground, and a web of lightning spread towards Kairi. The Keyblade user dodged into one of the open spaces, but spikes of electricity shot upwards from the net, giving her no more room to move. She hit the protrusion with Radiant Weapon, but the spell held.

"Raijin," Nelera aimed low, and Kairi was not able to block the spell.

"Cura," instead the princess healed herself, and noticed that the trap and wall both started to fade when the thief launched her attack. She struck out again, and this time the web broke. Kairi charged forward slashing again, breaking through the lightning wall.

"Blizzard," she lead with the spell, following close behind. As the stunned scientist dealt with the ice, the Keyblade flashed forward. Two quick blows to the shoulders completely disarmed the blonde, while stabs to her left breast and forehead drove her back, panting in pain.

"I underestimated you," Nelera admitted, "I guess I can't keep hiding."

The scientist tossed her knives away confidently. She reached down to the edge of her left glove, and began to peel it back slowly, almost seductively. After the leather passed her elbow, her skin began to change. The color darkened and the texture softened, changing from human flesh to Heartless ichor. She pulled the glove free, revealing her fingers were longer without the covering, and ended in talons. Sparks danced between the razor sharp digits. She grinned at the girl, and a wave of darkness rolled off her, pushing Kairi back. Her remaining glove shredded apart, as did her boots. Like her arms, her legs blended from human to Heartless, and her feet had a pair of sharp claws in the front and a third spike in the back. The claws of her right foot dug into the floor, to give her power as she launched herself forward.

Kairi interposed Radiant Weapon, stopping Nelera's talons. The Heartless curled her fingers, and then frowned thoughtfully with her still human face.

"Not conductive?" she noted, "That doesn't matter."

She unwrapped her first three fingers, still holding the Keyblade with her thumb and pinky. Her palms sizzled from the contact with the weapon of Light, but Nelera ignored it. The sparks between her extended fingers expanded outwards, engulfing Kairi in a cloud of electricity. Small burn marks appeared on her dress, and her body quivered from the shock.

Kairi had been bracing Radiant Weapon's haft with her left hand to keep Nelera at bay, but she shifted her second hand to the handle of the Keyblade and stepped to the right, guiding the Heartless woman past her. She swung her weapon around, and brought the tines of the key into her opponent's spine in a two hand chopped. The blonde scientist stumbled, and flipped forward to recover. As she landed on her feet and spun back, Kairi had launched a Fire spell at her, and she blocked it with her arms, shuddering slightly in pain.

"Cure," Kairi used the weaker version of the healing spell to preserve her power, and then moved in again, brandishing her weapon to keep the sentient Heartless from casting another spell. She stabbed out with Radiant Weapon, but Nelera deflected the Keyblade, and scored a hit to the princess's collarbone, leaving a quartet of jagged, scorched tears in the younger woman's flesh. Kairi dropped the point of the Keyblade, hooking the tines behind Nelera's right ankle. She tugged the weapon back, hamstringing the Heartless limb, and pulling her opponent off balance. The combatants separated again, and and regarded one another warily.

* * *

"Power is at 100%," Axel reported, turning back a dial on the machine, "Do it."

Naminé looked dubious, but she closed her eyes and extended her hands. She focused all her will, and thought about Sora and Roxas.

With a flash of light, the Princess Key appeared in her hands. Bearing a look of regret, she deposited the Keyblade in the device, and Axel slammed the lid shut.

* * *

Radiant Weapon vanished from her hands, leaving behind its Keychain, which Kairi confusedly caught before it could hit the ground. Nelera's eyes widened in surprise, and then she smirked triumphantly.

"I don't know what just happened, but it looks like it's my lucky day," she crowed smugly. She darted forward and backhanded Kairi in the jaw, sending the teen tumbling to the floor.

"Without you Keyblade, you don't stand a chance," the Heartless woman mocked her foe, "And the Adamant Hearts will be mine."

"No, I can still fight!" Kairi declared firmly, standing.

"Really? How?"

Kairi raised her right hand towards the ceiling, and met Nelera's eyes as she incanted, "Holy!"

"Oh, crap," the scientist exclaimed, throwing herself forward. She escaped from the first descending pillar of light, and slid around the second. She hopped back away from another beam that dropped close to her, and her smug expression returned.

"Nice spell," the Heartless woman mocked her, "But what good is it if you can't hit me?"

Kairi ignored her, keeping the spell active. She noticed two things that gave her hope.

Nelera dodged agilely around the beams, moving closer. She could not stop to cast a spell of her own, or she would get hit. But she knew that it would only take one more swipe of her electrically charged claws to end it. She could not charge straight forward, and at times was even forced to dodge backwards to avoid getting hit, however she was slowly making her way close enough for a melee attack. She kept her eyes firmly on the princess, until something else appeared to block her way.

"Hi, remember me?" Selphie suddenly popped up in front of the thief with a smirk of her own. Nelera's eyes went wide, but it was too late. The bearer of the Heart of Ruby slammed her nunchaku into the Heartless, one arm to her stomach, and the other across her breasts. Nelera tumbled backwards, directly into one of Holy's columns. As the light engulf her body, she cried out. She crumpled to the floor, and Selphie moved back to defend Kairi. The Princess of Heart ended her spell and took a step forward.

"What would you say if I offered you another way to become whole?" Kairi asked Nelera, thinking again of Sora's time as a Shadow. She knew she could not do it for just any Heartless, but like her friend, Nelera was a special case.

"I don't want to become 'whole'," Nelera growled, lifting her head to glare at them, "I will become more. I will become an amalgam of Human, Heartless, and Nobody. And I will do it by my own hand. I do not need your help or pity."

"I thought you would say that," Kairi nodded. Nelera surged unsteadily to her feet with a snarl, her claws extended again.

Kairi lifted her hand, energy swirling around her palm. When she had cast Holy for the first time, she felt the spell she had found in St Canard activate, almost as if it had been waiting for the sixth element.

"Oh, perfect light, I want to end this," Kairi intoned.

A silvery appearing sphere formed around Nelera, though on closer inspection it was composed of a swirling mass of colors that only looked grey at a distance. The orb pulsed three times, and each time that Heartless woman cried out.

"Ultima," the teen completed the spell, and the globe imploded, all of its energy collapsing in on the Heartless. Nelera shrieked in pain and rage, and as the magic faded she collapsed.

She no longer looked human. Her clothing was the same, if damaged; and her body was basically the same. But her skin and hair had been stripped away, leaving only the inky flesh of a Heartless. Nelera tried to prop herself up, but her left arm was gone. Her legs were slowly breaking apart.

"No," she sobbed pitiably, "No I can't die. I have to become more. I have to surpass Xehanort, or he will never truly acknowledge me!"

"I'm sorry," Kairi said sincerely, approaching the dying Heartless. Nelera turned to look at her, and the princess saw that a part of her human appearance remained, she still had her bright, blue eyes. Kairi expected the thief to glower at her angrily, but instead found something else in her opponent's tear-filled eyes. Fear.

"I'm scared," Nelera confirmed, "I don't know what happens next. Do you think my Soul will be waiting for me?"

Kairi realized that for the scientist, the unknown held the greatest terror.

"I'm sure she is," she said kindly, as Nelera's right arm started to melt, and the disintegration of her legs reached her torso.

"I think I believe you," the Heartless smiled serenely, "Is that because you're a Princess of Heart?"

"No," Selphie countered, joining them. She carried the four full Heart Extractors, and explained, "It's simple compassion. It's just a part of being Human."

"Part of being Human?" Nelera echoed thoughtfully, "I think somewhere along the line I forgot that..."

The last of her body broke apart, releasing her Heart. It looked to be made of smooth white stone, with elegant veins of brown and grey.

"The Heart of Marble," Kairi said sadly, "She had it the whole time."

"Come on," Selphie urged, We have to get these back... to.. the.. others..."

She trailed off, and Kairi watched in wonder. As Nelera's Heart flew upwards, it left a trail of Darkness behind it. The remnant congealed, expanding into a portal. Kairi stepped closer, as if compelled.

"Kairi," Selphie called out to her again.

"Sora," the princess whispered, and the she turned back stating confidently, "Sora is on the other side of that portal. I can feel him."

Then she paused sadly, looking at the containers her friend held. She started to walk towards Selphie, but the younger girl shook her head.

"What are you waiting for?" Selphie asked, "Go, before it closes."

"But the Adamant Hearts," she protested weakly, "I promised I would bring them back to Ron and the others..."

"Gadget and I will handle it," the nunchaku user smirked, "Like the journal said, it's time for this Adamant Heart to stop being a sidekick and start being a hero on her own. Besides, finding Sora was why you left the island, and who knows when you'll have anther chance like this."

"Just bring him back," the boisterous girl said more softly, "And Riku too."

"Selphie... Thank you," Kairi hugged her friend awkwardly, due to the containers Selphie carried; and slipped the communicator into her skirt pocket. Then she turned and plunged into the shrinking portal.


	17. Epilogue: Converging Paths

**Epilogue: Converging Paths**

"Sora!" Kairi felt his presence so strongly, she felt certain she would see him as soon as she emerged from the Dark path. She called out his name as she saw the light, stumbling slightly as her feet hit solid ground again. She was in a dead end alley, covered by a tarp and blocked off by a chain link fence. The side-street had been decorated with a collection of cast off items, an old, scarred dart board, a slightly ragged couch, a crate, and a barrel, among other items. But instead of her long sought friend, she saw three other teens.

"You okay?" the taller boy asked. He had winged blonde hair, light brown eyes. He was wearing camouflage pants, a black t-shirt decorated with a skull, and a grey vest.

"What..." the Princess of Heart was unsettled by her trip through the Darkness, and the lack of her beau at her destination.

"You came flying out of a hole in the wall. You nearly gave us all heart attacks!" the other young man told her. He had dark brown her, stuck into a column by a blue and white headband. There was a gentle openness in his hazel eyes. He was somewhat overweight, and wore a white t-shirt with an extra long red tank top over the top, and blue jeans.

"You should sit down," the girl led Kairi over to the couch. She had a pretty face and bright blue eyes. Her soft brown hair ran just past her shoulders with a strand pulled forward on either side around her neck. She wore a sleeveless orange shirt with a white flower pattern. She had loose yellow pants, and matching orange socks and two tone white and yellow sneakers.

"I'm Olette," the girl introduced herself, then indicated the rotund boy, "He is Pence, and the grumpy looking one is Hayner."

"I'm Kairi," the princess offered.

"Did I hear you say 'Sora'?" Hayner prompted her, scowling both in thought and from Olette's description of him. Kairi nodded.

"Do you know Sora?" Olette asked.

"Yes," Kairi nodded again, "I've been looking her him for a while..."

* * *

"What a romantic story," Olette sighed when Kairi finished outlining her story.

"If you stick around," Pence said happily, "Sora's bound to show up."

"Yeah, he said he's coming back," Hayner added.

"Okay," Kairi agreed brightly.

"What took you so long, Kairi?"

A portal opened, and a slightly familiar voice emerged from it a moment before its owner. Axel stepped through into the cramped alley fort. Kairi hopped to her feet, assuming a defensive stance before her younger hosts. She instinctively called to her Keyblade, but the weapon did not appear.

"Somehow I just knew you'd be here," the flame-haired Nobody announced, "I tell ya, Kairi, you've got a lot of guts, jumping right into the Darkness like that."

Hayner jumped up, and moved to charge Axel, but Kairi waved him back.

"Have you been watching me?" the princess shot back.

"On and off," Axel shrugged, "My boss knew about Nelera, and was curious to see where her experiments went. But she was no big loss."

He smiled more darkly, and told her, "I think it's time you came with me. You can't fight me without your Keyblade."

"I don't need my Keyblade," she countered. She raised her hands, extending the pointer and middle fingers of each. Ice danced around her right digits, and electricity her left.

"If you were watching me fight Nelera, you know that."

"Two problems there," he informed her, "You see, your Keyblade is your wand. It both focuses and increases your spells' power. Without it, you'll be lucky to hit me, more or less hurt me. Unless you break out the really big magic, but that brings up my second point."

Axel lifted his left arm, fire dancing around the limb from the elbow down. Her pointed it not at Kairi, but at Olette.

"I'm guessing you don't want to see these three get hurt, or any of the other random bystanders in this town," he stated darkly, "Which means you have to be careful. I have no such hang up. In fact, why don't I just do that?"

"Do what?" Kairi asked warily.

"Come with me now, or I burn your new little friends here into ash," he answered frankly. Pence and Olette cringed backwards, and Hayner tensed to attack again.

"What guarantee do I have that you will leave them alone, if I come with you?" the princess queried bitterly.

"I need someone to tell Sora where you are," Axel told her, "and these three are perfect for that little job... If it's a job needs to be done."

Kairi lowered her arms, her shoulders slumping in defeat. Axel summoned up the dark path.

"Kairi..." Olette started to protest, but the Keyblade user shook her head. The three younger teens watched in silence as Axel led her into the void.

* * *

"Well?" Selphie asked nervously. She, Buzz, Booster, and XR were trapped on the far side of the quarantine force field, while Gadget and five LGMs worked on the container of the Heart of Emerald.

"Almost there," three of the green aliens chanted in unison.

"We have to be careful," the mouse advised tersely, "We only get one shot at this. If we reconfigure the reversal process incorrectly, Mira's Heart will be lost."

The nunchaku user backed away from the barrier, erected not for any risk, but to keep the anxious observers at bay.

"Selphie," Buzz Lightyear was the most composed of the gallery, so he decided to distract the teen, "Didn't you say something about contacting the other two Hearts, to let them know that that Nelera person was no longer a threat?"

"Yeah," the girl turned towards him, frowning, "So?"

"We could help you with that, while we're waiting," he told her, "We can link up your ship with one of the view screens in the back so you can make the calls."

"Thanks," she settled slightly, "That would be great."

"XR, get Miss Tilmitt a secure channel to her ship," the senior Ranger instructed.

"Sure thing, boss," the small robot responded. He rolled over to one of the consoles on the far side of the lab. After a few moments the screen showed the communications system for the Gummi Ship. Though she only had a passing familiarity with the system, with XR's help, she was able to hail Balamb Garden. Almost as soon as she initiated the connection, the monitor flashed, and Rinoa Heartilly's pleasant face filled the screen.

"Hello, Selphie," the bearer of the Sapphire Heart said openly, "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good, all things considered," the younger woman answered, "You see..."

".. so to make a long story short, you should be safe now," the nunchaku user concluded. Rinoa nodded gratefully.

"Thank you, for everything," the 'princess' of Balamb Garden answered, "And tell Kairi thank you for me too."

"Selphie, we're ready," Gadget called.

"I guess I better go," Selphie said, "Keep your fingers crossed for Mira and the others."

"I will," Rinoa agreed, and then ended the connection. Selphie and XR hurried back to the edge of the forcefield. The LGMs had all moved back, leaving the mouse girl alone with the machine.

"Ready?" she asked, slightly nervously. Selphie nodded, as did Buzz. Gadget hit the switch, and the Heart Extractor began to hum loudly. The rodent engineer backed off, moving from the bed to a nearby console. Inside the cylinder, the Heart of Emerald pulsed with light, and began to fade from view. Once the Heart had completely vanished, Mira took a deep, harsh breath, and sat up, looking around wildly. The LGMs disabled the forcefield, and the Ranger's teammates rushed in to check on her.

"Mira!" Booster cried out, sweeping into a crushing hug.

"What's going on?" Mira asked nervously.

"We'll debrief you later, Ranger," Buzz said brusquely, hiding his relief.

"So, what about the other three?" Selphie asked Gadget, not wanting to intrude.

"Yeah, now that I know how to rewire them, it will be a piece of cake," the mouse answered confidently.

"Then we should get going," the Human noted. She extended her hand and the smaller girl climbed on.

* * *

"You can just hang out here, until we need you," Axel told Kairi, pushing her gently into the cell. He hit the lock, and the crystalline bars slid into place.

"And feel free to try your magic," he informed her smugly, "The cell is designed with permanent Reflect, so..."

He trailed off, turning to leave.

"Wait," she called after him, and the Nobody stopped.

"Where's Sora?" she asked.

"Actually, I'm going to get him now," he told her, "So just hang tight, OK?"

Then he left. Kairi looked at the wall thoughtfully, the beginnings of Fire curling around her palm. She decided against it. Faint footfalls echoed in the hallway, and she moved over to the bars. An unfamiliar man had entered the prison block, though he was wearing the same coat as Axel. He was marked by a large, 'X' shaped scar between his eyes. He stared at her thoughtfully, but did not speak.

"What are you going to do with me?" she demanded.

"You're the fire that feeds Sora's anger," he answered emotionlessly. Then he resumed walking, leaving out the other end of the corridor. She continued to glare until he was out of sight, then allowed herself to slump against the bars.

"No..." she whispered, "Sora's in danger because of me..."

She felt another presence, but behind her in the cell. She turned, and a dark portal had been opened in the back wall of the jail. Inside stood a blonde haired girl in a simple white sheath dress.

"This way!" the young woman gestured urgently.

"Who..." Kairi felt the other teen looked familiar, but also knew she had never met her rescuer before.

"Believe in yourself," the blonde urged, "C'mon, hurry."

The Princess of Heart nodded. She dashed across the room, and grabbed the other young woman's hand. There was a brief pulse of Light, and Kairi let the other teen guide her into the Darkness.

* * *

"I know where I know you from," Kairi suddenly exclaimed softly. The two girls had been sneaking through the castle in silence, when the princess's memory finally clicked. The other girl turned to face her, curious and slightly nervous.

"When I had that vision," Kairi continued, as much for herself as for the other teen, "and gained my Keyblade..."

The girl cringed at the mention of the weapon, but the brunette did not notice.

"You were the image on the last station. Or at least on the first side of the platform," Kairi paused thoughtfully, then asked, "Do you you know who the other girl was?"

"The other girl?" the blonde echoed, confused.

"That last platform, I fought a Heartless and a Nobody," Kairi said, "And they kept flipping the floor. You were on one side, and on the other was a girl who looked like me, but she had black hair, a coat like Axel, and had Sora's Keyblade. Do you know who she is?"

"Xion..." the girl in white sounded surprised, "You shouldn't be able to remember her... But you never met her, so this isn't memory. Maybe some sort of resonance?"

"I shouldn't be _able_ to remember her?" Kairi parroted the odd phrasing suspiciously, "Like how I wasn't able to remember Sora for some reason."

"They are related," the girl admitted, "It is a long story, but the short version is that Xion was a special Nobody, and when she died, everyone else forget that she ever existed."

"Everyone else? Not you?"

"No," the blonde shook her head, "Memory is my power, so I still remember Xion."

Kairi opened her mouth to ask more about Xion, but closed her mouth when a number of large Nobodies appeared before them.

"Naminé," Saix stepped past the other Nobodies, "There you are..."

"Naminé?" Kairi repeated the other girl's name, suddenly realizing she had never asked for it.

"Kairi. I'm afraid leaving is not an option," Saix told her, extending his hand, "I'll take you to see Sora."

"Stay behind me," Kairi advised her rescuer, gathering energy into her hand.

"You don't want to see him?" the Organization member prompted.

"I do," the princess admitted, "More than anything. But not with you around."

"If I had a Heart," Saix noted flatly ,"this would be where I die of laughter."

He took a step closer, but the sound of ringing metal behind him made the Nobody pause. As he turned back, the Nobodies behind him collapsed. On the other side of them was a tall, male figure, wearing an Organization duster, with the hood drawn. He held a Keyblade comprised of four wings, the haft a large red and purple demon wing, and the tines a white, angelic wing. The hand guard was two smaller wings, one angelic, the other demonic. The Keychain was the emblem of the Heartless.

"You..." Saix sounded mildly annoyed, "Didn't Roxas take care of you?"

"You can take it from here, Riku," Naminé stated, backing slowly away.

"Riku?" Kairi was shocked to hear the too tall, black cloaked figure addressed as her friend. Riku lifted his other hand, and shot a gout of purple flames as Saix. The Nobody caught the spell with his arms, and the hopped backwards and sideways. Riku follow after him, slamming Saix into the wall. The Nobody summoned a pool of Darkness, and let Riku's force push him into it. The hooded figure paused for a moment in surprise, and then started to follow the Organization member.

"Wait," Kairi requested, a hint of pleading in her voice. Riku paused as Kairi rushed over, and the portal closed.

"Riku..." she smiled happily, her eyes slightly moist, "You're really here..."

She reached up and pushed back the hood. Then she gasped at what she saw. Instead of the soft, pale face of her friend, she was confronted by a deeply tanned, angular visage. The face of the man who had called himself Ansem.

* * *

"Is anyone home?" Selphie was surprised that no one greeted her when she entered Gummi Glenn, carrying the Heart Extractor. Gadget had already reconfigured the device, and instructed the Human how to use it.

"Selphie, honey, is that you?" Grammi Gummi's voice emerged from the room on the far side of the main chamber.

"Yup," the traveler confirmed, "And I come bearing gifts. Well, one gift."

The Gummis swarmed out of the side rooms, greeting her with relief. Zummi and Gruffi quickly ushered her to the bedroom adjacent to the library, where Cavin's Body was waiting.

"What are you going to do?" Cubbi asked nervously, staring at the machine.

"I'm going to give Cavin back his Heart of Iron, and then smash this thing," she recalled Star Command as she said it; Buzz had melted the Emerald Extractor with his laser, to the dismay of the LGMs. He told them it was to danger to let them study, and Selphie agreed.

She placed the device on the comatose squire's chest, carefully guiding it until the crosshairs on the top lined up. Then she flipped the switch, and stepped back. The machine grumbled to life, and the Heart of Iron flashed in response. Then it began to fade. Cavin's eyes stopped fluttering, and he started breathing deeper. Once his Heart was fully restored, his eyes suddenly opened, and he rolled off the bed. The Extractor went flying, but Selphie caught it.

"Where?" he groaned, and blinked at his surroundings, "The Glenn? What happened?"

"He'll be hungry," Selphie gave the Gummis the warning the doctors at Star Command had extended to Mira's friends, "and surprisingly, tired. But with a few good meals and some normal sleep, he should be fine in a day or two."

"I better get cooking," Grammi said happily, "Come on, Sunni, dear."

"Thank you, Selphie," Zummi said sincerely.

"May I?" she gestured to the machine.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Gruffi said sharply. She set the Extractor on the floor, and broke the glass tube with her nunchaku. Then she shattered the electronics in the top and base with a number of harsh blows.

"I'm guessing you need to get going," Zummi remembered their previous visit, "We're not your last stop, right?"

"No, I've got two more people to help."

"We won't keep you then," the spellcaster told her, "Tummi, Gusto, can you lead Selphie out."

As they left, he regarded the remains of the Heart Extractor.

"Flum-ame Bum-urn," he incanted, incinerating the rest of the device.

* * *

"We gotta fight," a familiar voice squawked. Kairi froze briefly, and the ran towards the ledge. She had been following Riku closely, to make sure he didn't try to escape. She looked over the balcony. Two levels below she saw three familiar figures, surrounded by Heartless.

"Sora!" she cried out, joyful and worried all at once. She leaned over the railing, shouting, "Sora! It's really you!"

"Kairi?" Sora took his eyes off the Shadows, looking up at his friend in amazement. Riku took a step back, so the other young man could not see him in his altered form. The Heartless swarmed over the Keyblade wielder, and he grunted as he struggled to drive them back.

"You leave Sora alone," she yelled at the Heartless, then added, "Blizzard!" before jumping down to the intervening level. Her spell bought Sora some room, but also attracted the attention of the Heartless. As she landed, they already had gathered around her. The Shadows jumped towards her, but Riku crashed down on top of them, Way to the Dawn blowing them away.

"Thanks, Riku," she smiled at him. The corner's of Ansem's mouth turned up ever so slightly.

"You might do better with this," he told her, reaching into his coat, and drawing out a familiar weapon. The Keyblade had flowery tines and a wave crest guard. He extended her weapon, and she reached for it. Then she shook her head, and concentrated, summoning the blade back to her hand. It disappeared with a ringing of metal, and returned to her grip.

"My Key," she exclaimed happily, "How? Where did you get it?"

"Naminé told me where to find it," he answered, "I went to retrieve it while she rescued you, in case Axel was still there."

"How did that girl know where it was?" she asked, attaching the Keychain for Radiant Weapon.

"She is the one who took it from you," he answered evenly.

"How? How did she take my Keyblade? And how did they keep it from me?" Kairi demanded, as she smashed a Neo Shadow out of existence.

"They used one of Vexen's devices to seal your Keyblade," he said carefully, crisping a trio of Heartless with his Dark Firaga, "And as to how she took it..."

"Riku, what is it?" she asked, made anxious by his hesitation.

"Kairi, Naminé is your Nobody," he said gently.

"My Nobody?" she froze, "I have a Nobody?"

"When your Heart and Sora's were released from his body, somehow Nobodies were born for both of you," he explained, "Naminé for you, and Roxas for Sora. But because of that, they were different from normal Nobodies."

She digested that, until a shout of "Magnet" below them roused her from her reverie.

"We have to get down there," she exclaimed, "You know Sora's completely hopeless without us! C'mon, Riku!"

She slashed through another Shadow, charging towards the door. He grinned slightly and followed her.

* * *

"Three Keyblade wielders in such close proximity..." Xemnas smiled slightly, observing them through the globe hovering in front of his throne, "I cannot let an opportunity like this pass. Heartless, throw yourselves at them."

* * *

"There's no end to them," Kairi panted slightly, "Riku, stay close."

He moved back to back with her, a curious expression lighting Ansem's golden eyes.

"HOLY!" she shouted raising Radiant Weapon high. Column of falling light tore through the ranks of the Heartless.

"We have to get down there," Kairi insisted, but when she glanced over the ledge, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were gone.

"Are we too late?" she asked frightfully. Before her transformed friend could answer, the door on the west side of the balcony burst inwards. At the same time, the Heartless took advantage of their distraction to regroup, and a trio of Neo Shadows threw themselves at her.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted from the doorway, but she could not spare him a glance. She caught the first attacker's claw on her Keyblade, and then side stepped the second one. As she moved, she pulled back her Keyblade, and whirled it around into the head of the third Heartless. She continued her rotation, stepping closer to the dying monster to stab out at the one she had dodge. Radiant Weapon caught the Neo Shadow in the chest, and it too began to disintegrate. She hopped forward, quickly striking the last of the creatures twice, ending it as well.

"Kairi, you were great," Donald Duck quacked, as the trio hurried forward.

"Oh?" she blushed slightly as she turned to meet them, flipped back her hair were it had clung to her cheek. She smiled shyly when she saw Sora rushing towards her. He stopped short, observing her.

"You seem different, Kairi," he said sheepishly, running his hand through his hair, "but I'm just glad you're here."

"You and Riku never came home," she told him, "so I came looking for you."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, looking away. Kairi sent Radiant Weapon away, and closed the gap, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"This is real..." she whispered, tears wetting her face, "I found you."

* * *

"What's the sitch, Wade?" Kim Possible's weary face appeared on the Gummi Ship's screen.

"It's not Wade," Selphie grinned at the older teen.

"Selphie," the redhead's face brightened, "You're back. Where's Kairi?"

"She had another mission," the nunchaku user answered evasively, "But I brought back Ron's Heart. That's why I called, where is he?"

"He's at his house," Kim answered hopefully, "If you meet me at my place I can take you there."

* * *

"Are you sure this will work?" Ron's dad asked nervously, hovering over the two teenage girls.

"Unfortunately, this is the third time we've had to do this," Selphie said, her voice tinted with the self-recrimination she had hidden from the more depressed Kairi. She shook her head, banishing the negative thoughts.

"But the first two times went perfect, so you don't need to worry," she informed them confidently. She activated the reversed Extractor, and it began to restore the Heart of Oak to its proper place.

* * *

Xemnas collapsed to his knees, panting. He stared desperately up at the sky, at the broken form of Kingdom Hearts.

"I need...more rage.." the leader of the Organization hissed, "I need more... Hearts..."

"Xemnas," Sora said sadly, "There's more to a Heart than just anger or hate. It's full of all kinds of feelings. Don't you remember?"

"Unfortunately..." the Nobody frowned, "I don't."

He broke apart, the questioning look still on his face. Donald and Goofy whooped, and the shield bearing canine embraced his rodent liege.

"Gosh," Mickey exclaimed, "you all did great!"

"You're coming back with us, right?" Sora prompted Riku.

"Everyone is waiting for you," Kairi added.

"I had given in to the darkness," the taller teen shook his head, "How'm I gonna face everyone?"

"Like this?" Sora made a funny face. Riku laughed in spite of himself, and they all chuckled, until the platform they stood on began to shake.

"We gotta hurry," the King prompted them.

"I'll open a path," Riku raised his hand, but nothing happened.

"You don't belong in the dark realm anymore, Riku," Mickey told him happily.

"How do we get out of here, Your Majesty?" Donald was less impressed and more worried about dying. Naminé appeared behind them, mostly transparent. Kairi perked up, and Sora looked at the Nobody in confusion. Naminé moved her hand sideways, and portal opened behind her.

"Who did this?" Donald asked, running towards the gateway nevertheless.

"Well, I'm not sure," Mickey moved to join him, "But we'd better hurry and get through."

"Wait for me," Goofy ran forward, entering the path the instant before Mickey.

"C'mon," the Duck wizard looked back from within the Darkness. As the three residents of Disney Castle vanished, Kairi's other seemed to solidify slightly.

"Thank you, Naminé," the Princess of Radiant Garden offered.

"I owed you," Naminé said guiltily, and then looked over at Sora, "See? We meet again, like we promised."

"Huh?" the young man grunted dully.

"You said we'd meet again," a different voice echoed out from him, "but when we did, we might not recognize each other."

Roxas stepped out of Sora, as translucent as Naminé.

"I did, didn't I," the blonde girl agreed.

"But I knew you," he agreed.

"Mmm..." Naminé smiled confidently, "it's strange."

"I think I understand," Roxas decided, "I see myself the way you remember me. And you see yourself the way I remember you."

"I always though Nobodies were doomed to fade back into darkness..." the witch of Memory added.

"Yeah, but you and I didn't," the blonde boy agreed, looking towards Sora and Kairi, "We got to meet our original selves."

"So, we can be together again!"

"Right. Anytime Sora and Kairi are together." He took his place beside Naminé, opposite Sora, as the young woman in white was opposite the young woman in pink.

"We'll be together every day," the Princess told them, "Right, Sora?"

"Umm, yeah!" he agreed enthusiastically, blushing slightly. Naminé took Kairi's hand,and then vanished into her original in a shower of white sparkles.

"Look sharp," Roxas admonished Sora, before returning to the Keyblade wielder. Sora patted himself down with a concerned look and a grunt of surprise.

"Don't worry," Riku assured him, "You're all still you."

"Hey, let's go home," Kairi prompted, as the tower shook again. She stepped into the portal, but as she turned back to wave them in, the gateway started to close.

"Sora! Riku!" she cried out as the Dark path sealed, leaving them behind.

* * *

Darkwing lifted his head, and regarded Selphie with bloodshot eyes. He jumped up when he recognized the Human girl, and the item she carried.

"You're back... sidekick girl."

"That's Selphie," she shouted at him, "I'd think you would remember the name of someone trying to help you."

"Sorry," he said sincerely, "I've been distracted."

He looked up at the raised platform on the far side of the lair. Then his gaze returned to the nunchaku user hopefully.

"Is that..." he prompted tentatively.

"Yup."

"And can you..."

"In a few minutes, you'll have your daughter back," she confirmed brightly. Then to her surprise, the hero threw his arms around her loosely. She looked awkwardly surprised.

"Thank you, Selphie," he whispered, and her expression softened.

"Come on," she told him, "Let's wake up Gosalyn."

* * *

"Garwsh, Kairi," Goofy exclaimed as the path vanished behind her, "Where are Sora and Riku?"

"The portal closed before they could enter," she said sadly.

"What should we do, your Majesty?" Donald squawked.

"Do ya think we should go back for them, Kairi?" Mickey asked her.

"No," she smiled slightly, brushing aside her hair, "I think they can find their own way this time."

"Then we should take you home," the King nodded his agreement.

"You can do that?" she asked, surprised, "There is a path to Destiny Islands in this region?"

"Well, no," Mickey admitted, "But I can make one."

"You can make one?" she sounded amazed, "All the paths I opened were so... random..."

"It might have seemed that way," he shook his head, "But you were guided by your Hearts and the Hearts of those around ya, to where you needed to go."

"And not to toot my own horn," he said abashedly, "But I've got more training and experience than you guys do. And, I'll still need the Cornerstone to do it."

"You can open a path to any world," she frowned, "So you could have sent Sora home months ago?"

"Well, not really," Mickey shook his head vehemently, "I was kinda busy hiding and spying on the Organization. And if I had done that back then, they woulda just followed Sora."

"Also," his voice dropped, taking a worried tone, "It's not safe to do this too often, and I needed to save it in case I needed to track the Nobodies, and Riku was busy."

"Alright," she nodded, "Sorry."

"But before that, can we go back to Hollow Bastion?" she asked, suddenly remembering, "There is something I promised to do."

"Well, they ain't callin' it Hollow Bastion no more," Goofy interjected, "It's back to being called Radiant Garden."

She looked at him in surprise.

* * *

"So you remember Radiant Garden?" Mickey asked as they walked through the city. Donald and Goofy had stayed behind with the ship. Both the Princess of Heart and the King suspected that they wanted to use the ship's scanners to look for the two lost Keyblade users.

"Bits and pieces," Kairi answered, "Like I remember when you rescued me and my grandfather. And hearing Grandpa and Grandpa Ansem talking about Balamb Garden."

"That was the beginning of the end," the Mouse recalled, "When Ansem the Wise learned that his apprentices found Leon after Balamb disappeared, and used him as a test subject... Well that was when he decided to shut them down, and they betrayed him."

"What happened to Squall?" she prompted.

"They experimented on his emotions and memories," Mickey answered, "Ansem was outraged, but with Balamb gone, there was wasn't much he could do. He put Squall in the Youth Knights with Cloud, Aerith, and the others. Then, when Radiant Garden fell, Squall thought he had failed again, and that's when he started goin' by Leon."

"There he is!" she shouted, suddenly running forward. "Sqa... Leon!"

"Kairi, your Majesty," he greeted them as warmly as he could, "What are you doing here?"

"Kairi wanted to see you," Mickey offered.

"What can I do for you?" the scarred warrior asked evenly.

"I was asked to give this to you," she took out an envelope, and extended it to him.

"We should go," she told Mickey, wanting to give Leon some privacy. The King followed quickly after her, looking mildly befuddled.

"Squall?" the tall fighter was surprised to see his former name on the letter, and his eyes widened as he recognized the script.

"Rinoa..."

* * *

"Now what?" Gadget asked Selphie, as the Gummi Ship left orbit around St Canard.

"I guess I'll go home," the Human answered.

"But don't you want to look for Kairi?" the mouse prompted, "And your other friends, Sora and Riku?"

"I do," the nunchaku wielder answered, "But without a Keyblade, I'm limited to going back and forth between these eight worlds, and I doubt they will turn up here. Besides, I trusted Kairi to bring the boys home. So if I keep searching, it's like I'm doubting her."

"Setting course for Destiny Island," the engineer noted.

"What are you going to do, Gadget?" Selphie asked, as the ship accelerated.

"I don't know," the rodent considered it, "I don't really have any place to go."

"Well, I'm sure my mom will let you stay with us," the Human offered, "Especially if you turn that engineer's brain of yours to fixing our leaky faucet."

"Thank you, Ms Tilmitt," an intensely deep voice behind them said, "But if Gadget has no objections, I will bring her home, after she has returned you to your world."

Both women turned to look at the newcomer, a tall human man in deep blue robes, with a crown of grey hair around his otherwise bald head. His face was stern and weathered, but despite that his expression was kind.

"Master Yen Sid," Gadget greeted him, bowing her head slightly. Selphie studied him, surprised.

"I believe you are finished helping Princess Kairi, are you not?" the sorcerer addressed the rodent.

"Yes," the engineer nodded, "So you can bring me back to Twilight Town?"

"We are no longer in Twilight Town," Yen Sid answered, "The Nobodies invaded that tower; and as Arcadia has been restored, and I no longer needed to watch over Sora's restoration, I have returned to our true home. Do you wish to return?"

"Of course," Gadget beamed.

"Sora's restoration?" Selphie glared at him, "What does that mean?"

"The tale is not mine to tell," the ancient wizard lectured her, "If you wish to know, you will have to ask your friends, when they return. Gadget, call upon me when you are finished, and I will teleport you back to the Sanctum."

Saying that, the communications magic ended, and Yen Sid's apparently solid form vanished.

"Looks like we both get to go home," Selphie said wistfully, "Will I ever see you again?"

"Golly, I really don't know," Gadget said evasively.

"Well, even if we don't we'll always be friends, right?"

"Of course," the mouse engineer agreed.

* * *

"So this is Destiny Islands," Goofy looked around, as they followed Kairi off the Gummi Ship, "It's real purty. I can see why you guys like it so much."

"Can you stay for a while?" Kairi asked, the addressed the King directly, "I'm sure my grandfather would like to see you again."

"I'd like to, Kairi," Mickey answered, "But Minnie must be worried sick, and Daisy will probably scold me for keeping Donald away for so long."

Behind him, the Duck wizard shuddered.

"I understand," she told them sadly, "But don't be strangers, OK?"

"We won't," the Mouse agreed, "If nothing else, we'll have to come visit when Sora and Riku get back."

The three residents of Disney Castle all hugged her briefly, and the climbed back into the ship. A few moments later, the vessel lifted into the sky.

"Kairi!" she heard a familiar voice shout, as the Gummi Ship vanished from view.

"I saw the ship land," Selphie panted, when she reached her friend, "And I knew it had to be you."

She looked around suspiciously, and then asked pointedly, "Where is Riku... and Sora?"

"I met up with them," the Princess of Heart answered, "But then we were separated again."

She looked up at the sky, and placed her hand over her left breast, "But they're on their way home. This time I'm sure of it. We just need to wait for them."

"I thought waiting wasn't good enough?" Selphie needled her.

"Maybe not," Kairi agreed with a gentle, happy grin, "But some times, it's the only thing you can do."

* * *

Thinking of you, wherever you are.

We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend. Now I will step forward to realize this wish.

And who knows; starting a new journey may not be so hard or maybe it has already begun. There are many worlds, but they share the same sky---one sky, one destiny.


End file.
